Deadly Games Unlimited
by shadowwriter01
Summary: From across the Multiverse, several Transformers and humans had been collected. Trapped and captured by a mysterious and dangerous foe, they are forced to compete against each other in a deadly tournament. The purpose of the "Games" however is only known to their captors alone. Partly inspired by the gladiatorical combat from Transformers and especially by "The Hunger Games".
1. Chapter 1: Kidnapped from Reality

**Disclaimer: **The Transformers belong to hasbro. I own nothing.

* * *

**Deadly Games Unlimited  
**

She felt how her optics were slowly being activated.

She heard someone calling her name.

It took her a few moments to fully register her unfamiliar surroundings.

"Arcee," she heard the voices calling out to her. It was someone she knew, even if she couldn´t completely place it right now.

Then however her systems had finally completely reactivated themselves.

She was awake.

"Jack, Miko," she said, recognizing them now as two of her human friends.

She remembered that they had been very close to her, when** it** happened.

They had been accompanying her on a scout mission. It should have been easy, just pass the area and bring back all the information you can find. But the Cons had ambushed them.

Ratchet had then activated the ground-bridge to get them back to the base, literall in the last moment.

They had been trapped. There had not benn much and all their lives would have been lost. More than once had Arcee in the past questioned the wisdom of letting children like them anywhere close to them. But what choice did they have?

After all they were only watching over them to protect them from the Cons in the first place, because they just happened to watch one of their fights. The Decepticon wouldn´t have asked or cared if they were innocents. They would have just killed them to ensure their silence and keep their operations a secret.

The last thing Arcee could remember was that all three of them had passed the bridge together. But obviously that had not worked out, since this was clearly not their home-base.

"What happened? Where are we?" she asked them just a few moments later.

"We are not sure," Jack answered.

"We have just woken up here ourselves a few minutes ago," Miko told her. "Where ever `here´ is," she added, looking around.

As soon as Arcee began to take in her surroundings herself, the blue colored femme realized that they were inside a large room she had never seen before. A short distance from them she could see a metallic wall.

And they were not alone, as she now realized. Around them were standing several strangers, all of them Cybertronians like her, many of them. But now she also noticed something else.

Not all of them here were Autobots. There, right in the middle of it, was a line of bars that separated the room into two halves.

The occupants on the other side were easily to identify. It were Decepticons. The bars were obviously meant to separate the members of both groups from each other.

Suddenly it became clear to her what this room was. It was a prison, a cage and they, **all** of them here, were the prisoners. Ironically it was one that was holding members of both sides of the Cybertronian Civil-War.

She run a check on herself. Her weapons and her radio-transmitter were off-line, no great surprise given where she was, but at least her other systems seemed to be working properly.

Someone here was capturing both Autobots and Decepticons alike. And this someone was successful as it looked, going by the dozens of robots who were locked up here.

That left only the question, who was holding them here if it were not the Cons. Who would do something like this? Who was even capable of doing that? M.E.C.H.? the name of the human organization shot through her mind.

No, M.E.C.H. was dangerous, that much was true. But this? There was no way that they could ever capture so many Cybertronians or even that many Autobots alone. This was far beyond them.

If she thought about it, there were clearly more of her own faction here than she had ever seen alive during the entire last vorn.

In fact it were far more Autobots assembled in this room than even existed on Earth or in the entire `local sector´ of space. This meant in their case the two dozen parsecs around the human home-world where they were currently living.

What was going on here? Where in the world did all this Transformers come from?

"I see you are awake," someone addressed her. It was a white and grey armored robot she didn´t recognize. She had never seen him before or red about him in any personnel file, she was sure about that.

He was an Autobot, so much was clear, but none she had ever met or heard of.

"Yes," she responded.

She was now able to take a better look at the place around them. There were indeed several Autobots and Decepticons of various types being held here, on the two separated halves of the room.

To her surprise she saw also another human under the Autobot-prisoner. It was a young girl with red hair that she was wearing in pigtailed and strange bright blue eyes. Maybe she had been caught by accident, as it had probably been with Jack and Miko. Who ever was responsible for all this was clearly targeting cybertronians, not humans. The girl was sitting right next to a small bright yellow Autobot.

"My name is Getaway," she heard the unknown mech saying to her.

"Arcee, I am Arcee," she answered.

For a short moment he was looking at her strangely, as if this wasn´t what he had expected. But then his expression returned to normal. He smiled.

"I guess I should have expected something like this," he said to her.

Another Autobot chose this moment to introduce himself, it was another face she had never seen before. His optics had a strange purple-pinkish color and he obviously had a helicopter alt-mode.

"Hey, I am Rotorstorm," he said, "nice to meet you."

She just wanted to ask him what he meant. But before she had the chance to say anything, they were interrupted.

The doors were being opened, one at either side of the room.

Robots entered, it were both guards and prisoners. This was easy to notice, since two of the mechs were each being dragged into the room by two others.

The obvious guards seemed to be cybertronian, but they were wearing neither Autobot or Decepticon marks. This was quite strange.

Had a neutral faction of Transformers come into existence that was powerful enough to take so many members of both sides of the war prisoner? While the theory sounded a bit far stretched, it was possible.

But it didn´t explain why she had no files or information about most of the other prisoners here. There was more than that.

The guards threw the two robots they just brought in carelessly to the ground, right before the feet of the other captives.

One of them was a bizarre looking blue Decepticon. He had large bat-like wings, claw like fingers and a metallic beard and mustache. Like all the others here, he was a stranger to her.

The other one however, the one who had been dragged in on the Autobot side, he was not, by far not. She would recognize the small sized red robot anywhere. The specific modifications of his body and as it looked his alt-mode, were different. But there was no mistaken that it was him.

But this was impossible. He was dead. It had to be someone else, a bot designed in his image, maybe by their captors to get to her.

Once again Arcee asked herself, what was going on here?

On the other end of their giant cage the blue Decepticon had at the same time also come back to his feet and was being greeted by the rest of the prisoners on `their´ side. Under them was a black seeker who was right now standing the closest to him.

But that was not really Arcee´s problem right now. The cons might become an issue later, but right now she had other things on her mind. For example a `dead´ partner who was standing right before her.

"Cliffjumper?" she addressed the red Autobot.

He turned to her as he heard her saying his name. She saw however instantly in his optics that he didn´t recognize her. This was another shock, right after awakening in this place. He had been her friend, her partner for years, but now he obviously didn´t know who she was.

"Yes, and who are you?" he wanted to know.

Like herself a few minutes before, he looked around, analyzing his situation. Then he took a offensive stance towards everyone around him.

"I don´t knew who you are," he said. "I know a femme of this name, but you are obviously not her."

"This is no great surprise," someone else addressed them. "As it looks barely anyone of us knows the other, even if it seems that we should. The names of many here are known to me, even if the appearance often doesn´t match. I am Longarm," he told them. "Maybe we all should introdure ourselves."

"Arcee," she responded. "This are Jack and Miko," she gestured to the two humans.

"Getaway," the mech next to her said once again.

"I am Cliffjumper."

"You were a member of Prime´s Ark Crew right?"

"Right. So you have heard of me," he commented.

"Yes, even if I had never met you in person."

Ark Crew? Arcee asked herself. She had never heard of it.

"And I am Rotorstorm, as I already said," the helicopter she had spoken to earlier introduced himself.

"I am Bumblebee," said the yellow mech who was with the human girl.

Arcee was now starring at the robot in open surprise. While their was some ressemblence, this was clearly not her friend Bumblebee from her own team. To that came that he had spoken in english. Through a failure in his voice-box, the Bumblebee she knew was currently only able to speak cybertronian.

"And I am Sari," the red haired girl told them.

"I think **all** of us should introduce themselves," Longarm now stated. He said this, looking in the direction of the closest Decepticons.

A few of their enemies were exchanging either distrustfull or curious looks at his words. But in the end he was right, they were in this situation together, at least for the moment.

As much as Arcee herself hated the thought to have to cooperate with all these Decepticons.

"My name is Scourge," the eccentric looking Decepticon said to them now in a growling voice.

"Skywarp," the black jet introduced himself.

But before they could continue, they were interrupted once again.

A quite plain looking green robot entered the room, followed by a half dozen of the guards that they already knew.

"Welcome," he addressed them all. The guards were pointing their weapons at them in case someone dared to come too close to him.

"My name is Rook," he said. "You are all `guests´ of the great Cybertronian Empire. I will now explain to you the reason why you have all been brought here."

* * *

**Author´s note:** I had the idea for this story some time ago.

The main focus is on different characters from the Transformers multiverse.

**The ones I concentrate on for now are:**

\- Arcee (Prime) + Jack and Miko

\- Bumblebee and Sari (Animated)

\- Getaway (G1)

\- Longarm

\- Rotorstorm (European G1)

\- Scourge (G1)

\- Skywarp (G1)

I am open for suggestions for more characters to appear in this story.


	2. Chapter 2: Games beginn

**Chapter 2**

_Scourge´s P.O.V._

It was now a few minutes ago that Scourge had suddenly woken up in this strange place.

He knew instantly that he had been captured by someone. In his now two lives he had seen more than enough jail-cells to recognize one when he was inside. Even if he admitted that this was a particular large one.

Scourge had to confess however, he had no idea how he had arrived here. The last thing that he remembered was this space-phenomenon their long range scanners had discovered a few days earlier.

By the analyses of their techs, that meant Soundwave and the others, it was nothing else than a rift in time and space itself. They had no explanation however where it came from or why it appeared. It was something that had never been seen before and it was clearly dangerous, very dangerous.

And that meant it was interesting, possibly a new potential source of energy for the Decepticons or maybe there might be a way to utilize it as a weapon.

So they had send him and Cyclonus, together with a small group of seekers out to `research´ it. Research meant in this case basically so much as flying as close to it as possible, take readings and hope not to get killed in the process.

Scourge remembered how one of the seekers had literally been ripped apart by one of the gravitational and energetic bursts of the anomaly. He silently hoped that at least Cyclonus had gotten away from there in one piece.

He himself certainly did not, instead he had landed here.

xxx

This was all only because Galvatron was not longer around, because he had vanished right after the battle against Unicron, Scourge thought. The last that they had heard was that the new Autobot leader Rodimus Prime had thrown him out of the giant´s body and into deep space.

That was now over ten years ago. Since then things were not longer like they used to be.

It was a short time later that Shockwave had taken over. The one eyed Decepticon officer was a cold and calculating planner and a very effective mastermind, Scourge at least gave him that.

But leader of the Decepticons? He couldn´t have cared less about him in that regard.

It was clear to Scourge that he saw his troops merely as expandable resources. Of course you could argue that to some degree every Decepticon commander was like that. None of them were picky when it came to choose between success of the mission and the lives of their underlings.

But others, like Megatron or later Galvatron, at least knew how to show their appreation for their warriors. For Shockwave on the other hand you were only a cog in the machinery and he made you feel that. In the end he was more a glorified administrator and not a real leader of an army.

If he was honest, he often wished the blasted cyclops would have also died in the battle against Unicron.

Okay, he admitted, a part of his resentment may also come from the fact that Shockwave were pretty much shortselling him and Cyclonus.

Under Galvatron they had been the two top ranked officers of the Decepticon army. With Shockwave, they were not much more than just two other warriors. They still held officer rank, but not really any more important than any of the staff-officers or the combiner group leaders, not longer Second and Third in Command.

The one eyed freak had pretty much sidelined them, Scourge growled.

xxx

He remembered how the anomaly was just about to swallow him. Then there was only darkness. It was not hard to figure out what had happened. The anomaly **had** indeed swallowed him and he had landed her. He must have somehow fallen right through it and this was the other side. Someone must have found him then and thrown him into this oversized cage.

Of course it could have been worse. It was actually a wonder that he was still in one piece after this. Scourge knew he should have been dead, or more like wiped from existence. He guessed in a strange sense, he was lucky. Instead he was here, where-ever that was.

Shockwave, he cursed that name once again. He had of course to send them directly to the anomaly without knowing more about it.

This was of course nothing new. It had been like that for a few years. Shockwave probably hoped secretly that they would be killed on one of his bogus missions.

But that was not his worry right now. He was a prisoner and he was at some unknown place. There was no telling where he had landed after falling through the time-space rift.

"Hey you," he heard someone address him loudly.

In the moment as Scourge turned around, he got the shock of his life, as soon as he recognized the owner of the voice.

"Skywarp?" he stammered.

That was impossible. Thundercracker´s old flying partner was gone, for years now. After the by now infamous battle of Autobot City, he had been reformated by Unicron, just like himself.

Of course he was still around, still working with him. They were **still** partners. But none of them was exactly the same anymore since Unicron. That was now over ten years ago.

Yet Skywarp, just like he used to be, was standing directly before him.

"Yes, do I know you?" the black seeker asked him.

One thing was for sure, he was not longer at home, Scourge thought.

"Oh yes, to be honest, we have met before, in some way at least" he stated. "I am Scourge. But I wasn´t going by this name back then or was in this body."

"Ah, I see," Skywarp replied, "so it´s a complete make-over, new body and all. I´ve heard about something like this a few times. Rare, but it happens."

A smile formed itself on the seeker´s face now. "So will you tell me who you have been or do I have to guess?" he asked.

At this moment however they were being interrupted.

xxx

_"I think **all** of us should introduce themselves,"_ they heard someone saying. It was one of the Autobots who had spoken to them.

A bit surprising actually, but ultimately they were all prisoners here after all, together. So maybe it wouldn´t hurt to cooperate, at least to some level, for now.

"My name is Scourge."

"Skywarp." They told the other prisoners their names.

xxx

It was in this moment that a stranger entered the room, followed by a group of the guards they already knew. He introduced himself as Rook, an a bit unusual name, and said he was belonging to something called the Cybertronian Empire, that was currently holding them.

Cybertronian Empire? What was that supposed to be? Cybertronian, that was **them**, the Autobots and the Decepticons. Aside from that there was only a small number of empties. So what kind of organization was calling itself this?

The strange robot didn´t say much else, even less anything useful.

"You **all** have been chosen to take part in a very special tournament that is taking place here in the Capital," Rook informed them. "For this reason you have all been transported here by us. You all come from different worlds, from different realities, but we have brought you here together." A few of the locked up robots exchanged unbelieving looks as they heard this.

"It is a great honor to be chosen and I hope you all will proof yourself worthy," Rook declared proudly.

He made it sound as if they were honored guests, while in fact they were all locked up in a oversized cage, Scourge thought. They were all prisoners here, there was no doubt about it, no matter how much this guy tried to sweet-talk it and whatever `game´ they wanted them all to play was certainly only for their own purpose...

...or maybe just for their entertainment. If he was honest, all this here reminded him all too much of what he had heardabout the Quintessons and their sick experiments.

And different realities? Well, it shouldn´t really been a surprise, since he had just fallen through a time-space rift.

"Does any of you have any questions?" Rook asked then, his optics wandering around between the different captives.

Most of then were only looking at each other in confusion, before Longarm stepped forward.

"Yes, you said that we all were brought from different realities. I guess you mean that means that you possess some sort of interdimensional transport? That would also be the reason why many of us are not able to recognize any of the others from their data-banks."

Rook in return gave him something that was probably meant to be a warm smile. But for the most who saw it, it only looked creepy.

"Yes indeed," he stated. "Some of you might remember certain incidents with space-bridges or in some cases temporal anomalies, just before you came here. You all had been in very dangerous situations, that could have very likely led to your death. We have however intercepted your signals and transported you here instead. Essentially you could say we **rescued** you.

In gratitude for your lives however, we hope that all of you will willingly take part in the coming Games."

If they had truly been rescued, why were they still locked up? some of the captured Autobots and Decepticons thought. No, they were prisoners.

All of them had overheard the exchange. To say they were shocked would have been an understatement. Most, if not all of them knew about the concept of parallel universes. Some of them had even heard of methods of interdimensional travel in their own worlds.

But to think of what this robot had just actually stated? That they had all essentially been `kidnapped´ from different realities. It sounded absurd, at least at the first look. Still it matched with the facts of their current situation.

Cliffjumper, he really wasn´t the same person she had known, Arcee realized. He was a double from another world.

"You mentioned the Cybertronian Empire, what is that?" Rotorstorm asked now.

"The united government of Cybertron of course, the central power of our great civilization," Rook answered him. This time the pride in his voice was definitely genuine.

"United? You mean the Autobots and Decepticons together?" Cliffjumper wanted to know.

"Autobots, Decepticons, such concepts are long outdated in our world," Rook responded. "Yours may still follow these ways, competing and fighting over primitive philosophies. Our Empire is based on unity, order, growth and prosperty," he stated.

"If you want me to take part in your `Games´, what about my human friends?" Arcee asked him. She gestured to Jack and Miko.

The robot just gave the two humans a short emotionless cold look and then his gaze went back to her.

"The `organic infestation´ that was accidentally transported with you is of no consequences for the Games," he told her. "But if you think that `they´ would hinder your performance, we can if you wish hand them over to the guards for extermination."

Arcee´s expression turned into one of shock.

The two humans in question had listened to his words as well.

"Hey what are..." Miko nearly blurted out. But Jack held her back and actually put his hand on her mouth.

"I don´t think it is a good idea to challenge this guy as long as we are locked up here Miko," he whispered to her.

Arcee at this point was nearly bursting from anger herself. She crinched her metallic teeth. Organic infestation, that is all he saw her friends as?

She recognized the barely hidden grin on his face. He was basically using the two humans as hostages to ensure her cooperation for whatever he was planning. So much for civilization, she thought. For someone who thought of the Decepticons as a outdated concept, he certainly had no problem acting like one himself.

"No, that won´t be necessary," she spoke out loud. "They won´t be a problem."

"Good," Rook responded, sounding satisfied with the answer. "Then we will now prepare for the start of the Games."

xxx

"So does anyone of you happen to know anything more about our captors?" Skywarp asked the others.

The blue colored femme known as Arcee only gave him a short angry look.

"It seems everynody in this room only remembers that they had suddenly woken up here," the Autobot named Longarm told him, "but not how they had arrived."

"That means they know nothing," Scourge replied.

"Exactly."

"We will have to try to find out, **Con**," the femme calling herself Arcee stated, still quite aggressively.

"If you say so," Skywarp responded smugly.

By the way the blue femme reacted to both him and Scourge, it was obvious that she didn´t like Decepticons at all.

He didn´t knew what **exactly** her problem was, but since they were at war with each other and that obviously in her world as well, it was not that hard to guess.

xxx

_Arcee´s P.O.V._

Arcee was just turning back around to the other Autobots and her human friends. For the moment at least she had truly enough of talking to the Decepticons.

She saw the one named Rotorstorm and this other Cliffjumper standing together, obviously involved in a conversation. He was not her old partner, he was not her friend, actually he had never met her before or she him for that matter.

xxxxxxx

In that way it continued for the next few hours. The prisoners were just there, waiting for something to happen.

Then finally the doors were being opened once again.

And once again they were confronted with Rook´s smiling face.

"Honored participants," he addressed them. "Your time of waiting is over. The first phase of the games is starting soon. The guards will now accompany you all outside."

Like he had said, the prisoners were all being led outside in small groups, with guns pointed at them.

"Who does this guy thinks he can fool," one of the lined up Autobots murmured.

They were really on Cybertron. All of them could see the metallic landscape, the large cities filling the horizon. Some of them who were not completely sure so far had now confirmation. But it was a different Cybertron from that **any** of them remembered.

This one was not controlled by Autobots and Decepticons, but instead by a mysterious force calling itself the Cybertronian Empire.

They were all being led to a large open field. Before them laid a wide unpopulated area, but filled with various liveless constructions, metallic ramps and lanes and automatic machinery, forming a giant maze.

All in all it looked quite similar to various combat trainings-courses they had seen on their own Cybertron´s, only on a much larger scale.

This was obviously the place where the `Games´ were about to beginn.


	3. Chapter 3: Deadly Rules

The story is getting a few clear references to my fanfic Evolution in this chapter. This story or at least the Transformers Animated portion of it, serves as a indirect sequel to it.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The two groups of captives had been led to something that looked like a twisted version of a very large training route for ground-forces. They were first separated into Autobots and Decepticons and now being divided into even smaller groups.

The city-landscape around them was that of Cybertron, but not the Cybertron as any of them knew it. In most of their worlds the Great War between Autobots and Decepticons had broken out at one point or the other.

For a few of them, like Arcee, their home-planet had been destroyed, turned into liveless wastelands of ashed and ruins.

This Cybertron here however was not ruled by either Autobots and Decepticons, but by a strange other group that was calling itself the Cybertronian Empire.

It was a faction that they knew nothing about.

xxx

At the same time all of them were being observed.

This fact alone however was nothing that would have surprised them.

They were captives, prisoners here, none of them had any illusions about this, no matter what their captors told them and they were being forced to take part in some sort of sick game.

This, at least in part obviously for nothing else but the demented amusement of the people who were ruling this place. Or for whatever twisted reasons they might have.

The idea that they would be monitored was actually quite obvious in their situation.

No, it was simply the identity of the being that was watching them that would have astonished them if they knew.

xxx

This observer was part of the ruling force of this particular version of the Transformer´s home-planet. At the same time however he was far more.

He was a ancient and powerful being. Over the time and ages he had played a great role in the history of this and many others of the countless different dimensions.

He was a Transformer whose life-span exceeded even the known history of Cybertron itself, that means the `known´ history, he was one of the ancient creations, the first children of Primus, who had survived till this days.

This being had chosen this world, this particular Cybertron, for his own purposes a long time ago. Behind the scenes he was indeed the absolute ruler of this planet and of many others.

In this universe he was the master of an galaxies spanning Empire.

He was one of the Original Thirteen.

He was the being known as the Liege.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertron (`Animated´ Universe)_

Meanwhile in another reality, two Autobot officers were just having a heated conversation. Both of them were wearers of the impressing sounding title Prime, that was however far less worth in this world than it was in most other realities.

Prime, in the most of the dimensions where Cybertron existed this was the title of the leader of the Autobot faction or of one of the Original Creations of Primus and their direct descendants or at least of some very important individuals. Here it was merely a very high officer rank.

Yes, the Transformers here knew about these other universes. At least they did since the visit of a few groups of strangers from another universe who had visited them nearly a year ago.

These strangers were Autobots and Decepticons, nearly like themselves, nearly but different. They came from a reality where the conflict between their factions was long over. Instead they were locked into some kind of cold-war state with each other.

Their visit in this universe however, had by far not only positive results. The first group who had arrived in this world had turned out to be rogue Autobots, fanatic terrorists who had planned to manipulate them into a war they couldn´t win with the purpose to take over their Cybertron.

On top of that a few of the other Decepticons had attacked Iacon´s prison-complex and freed their Megatron.

Since then they had been periodically in contact with this other dimension and had started an exchange of information and technologies.

But as it looked the Decepticons were doing this as well.

xxx

In their own world on the other hand the Great-War had just restarted a short time ago, ever since Megatron had escaped captivity with the help of the extra-dimensional visitors of his own faction and was now leading his forces again.

So far the fighting took only place in deep-space or at outer colonies. The Decepticons were not strong enough to threaten Cybertron directly, not yet. But it was only a question of time. They all were aware of that.

This was one reason more for their current work here. It was research into the new technology that they had been exposed to by their `visitors´ themselves.

The technology to travel between the dimensions.

This however was it what led them directly to the situation they were in now.

The two robots were nobody else then Optimus and Sentinel Prime This meant of course their versions of this world.

Of course like so often, this two didn´t exactly agree about the right course of action in this situation.

And this was clearly an understatement.

"I have told you Sentinel that it was too early for the activation," Optimus told him more than just a bit irritated.

"Our tests showed that the new technology was working as expected," the other Prime replied. "All the results were looking promising. We couldn´t effort to wait any longer. Not with the Decepticons out there, probably working on similar devices themselves," Sentinel Prime stated matter of factly.

This `device´ was in fact nothing else than a modified space-bridge, that was now redesigned to open connections into other realities, based to the greatest part on the model of the technology of their guests from another universe from last year.

"Oh yes? Because of your impatience Bumblebee and Sari have been lost and could be the Allspark knows where," Optimus accused him.

He hated to admit it, but Sentinel actually had a point. The Decepticons were already dangerous enough as they were. Should they discover the secret of interdimensional transwarp before them, their entire situation would only become worse. Still his seemingly carefree attitude about this entire matter just pissed him off.

Because of their status as `Heroes of Cybertron´, since they had managed to take Megatron prisoner last year, Optimus and his team were invited to witness the first activation of the new form of space-bridge. Even the fact that the Decepticon leader had been freed didn´t change anything about their new status and fame.

To their bad luck however the demonstration had gone horrible wrong. Some sort of malfunction had caused a overload and an resulting explosion. The transwarp system went out of control and a dislocated transwarp-bubble caught both Sari and Bumblebee. One moment later they had disappeared.

"You have decided that the new space-bridge is ready. You have invited us here and now two members of my team are missing."

"Don´t worry Optimus," Sentinel told him confidently, "we will find your minibot and your half organic friend soon enough. You know in opposite to your former repair-crew I have here the best experts of Cybertron at my hand."

Something else he just seemed to have doing was constantly reminding Optimus of his teams former status as a space-bridge maintenance-crew.

Sentinel´s attitude was getting more and more on his nerves. This was kind of ironic because, as hard as it was to imagine, his behavior had actually gotten better after the events of the last months.

"Bulkhead is the leading space-bridge expert," Optimus reminded him grimly, "and he **is** part of my team."

"And he is here to help, together with all the other experts," Sentinel told him smugly.

"Don´t worry Optimus," Bulkhead called out from the place where he was working at the machinery. "This has to be the first time that I agree with Sentinel, but we will find Bumblebee and Sari."

But then the alarms were going on once again.

"What is going on?" Sentinel shouted.

"There is something wrong," Bulkhead replied. "There is something...something from outside. It is interfering with our signal."

"Sentinel," Optimus growled.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertron - (Cybertronian Empire Universe)_

The now smaller groups of captured Autobots and Decepticons were brought into different parts of the large terrain.

And then the guards just left them behind. They all were standing now inside the giant maze of metallic constructs, walls, buildings and tunnels and automatic weapon systems, that formed the arena where they `games´ would be taking place.

One of these groups consisted of Cliffjumper, Arcee, her two human friends, Bumblebee and red headed girl named Sari, Rotorstorm and Longarm.

They had been put together. Their weapons had been recharged and returned to them as they had realized. It was clear the `Game´ was about to beginn.

It was then when they began to hear the voice that was starting to hall all over the area. Microphons, they realized, it was being broadcasted everywhere into the arena.

"Welcome brave competitors," the unknown speaker said. "You all have been chosen to take part in the Great Games. I am glad to welcome you all here, at the start of the games. I am Jhiaxus, Liege Centurio of the Cybertronian Empire. Great fame awaits you all, **if** you survive. But be confident. You might not be aware of it, but to be chosen alone is one of the greatest honors.

About the rules. You have been separated into nine groups. Out of them only either three complete teams or between 18 and 22 individuals from different groups can survive the first round. The first round will end when four solar cycles are over or when your number has come down to the numbers I just told you. When exactly it will end is to be decided by the game-management.

For you to survive this round there are two ways. You can go into hiding, avoid the other teams, hope not to be discovered and wait until the time is over or you can actively go out and attack the other groups. Both are acceptable ways." By the sound of his voice it was obvious that he prefered the second option.

"Beside yours however, there will be a tenth group that will be taking part. This one will represent our own universe and is called the Hunters. They consist of some of the best fighters this version of Cybertron has to offer and they will target your groups indiscriminately.

In the second round then, the final winners will be decided through traditional gladitorial combat. Only a few of you can survive. But the one who do will be the best of the best. In this sense I wish good luck to all of you. May you stay alive and earn glory for your worlds. You have four breems to prepare yourselves, then the games will officially begin."

"Well, that sounds just great," Bumblebee remarked, as they all had heard the announcement.

"That is just barbaric," Rotorstorm said. "These guys are insane."

"Four breem?" Jack asked

"A bit more than a half hour," Arcee answered.

"Who does this guy think he can fool," Cliffjumper exclaimed," games, who is dumb enough to buy that?"

"I would rather ask why they even bother to desceive us," the red headed girl pointed out. "They had us already locked up after all. It is not as if we could have done anything."

"I am sorry that you got involved into this Sari," Bumblebee told her.

"Don´t blame yourself," she said. "For all we know it could have been me they were after from the beginning."

"Oh excuse me, but...well, I don´t want to intrude into your business. But I don´s see why they sould be interested in you," Arcee´s friend Jack addressed the red head. You are human after all... and by the way this other robot reacted earlier...I don´t believe they are thinking much of our race."

"Are you sure about that?" Sari asked him with a grin on her face.

"Of course we are sure," Miko called out. "Have you heard what this guy has said? He treated us nearly like...like germs. What a prick."

"No, I mean are you sure that I am human?" As she said this words, her appearance suddenly began to change.

What had been simple human skin one second before was now being surrounded by metal. For a short moment they thought it was some kind of exo-suit, until they realized that the mechanics seemed to be emerging out of her own body. Around her face formed a helmet and a metallic face with a battle-mask.

Glowing blue optics were now looking at them, the eyes of a Autobot.

Jack, Miko and even Arcee could only stare with an open mouth.

"What...what are you?" Jack asked stunned.

"I am what is called a techno-organic in our world. I am a mixture of human and cybertronian," she told her shocked audiance that by now consisted of more than just Arcee and the two humans.

xxxxxxx

A few kilometers from them was another group. This one consisted of Decepticons.

"You have heard the speech. So Scourge, it seems that we are together in this," Skywarp told him. "Maybe you should finally tell me who you used to be. It is clear that you know me."

"Yes, very good. It was really a shock as I saw you in this form again. After all you have been reformated right along with me and we are still flying together. Only without Starscream now."

"Th...Thundercracker," the seeker stuttered.

xxxxxxx

But their groups were not the only ones.

Another was assembled at the border of the territory, just outside of the arena. This one was quite different from the others.

They were heavily armed and wild looking. And in opposite to the others they seemed eager to beginn.

They were the Hunters. Their leader was a very large and imposing robot. Despite that the factions here officially didn´t exist, he was of a obvious Decepticon style design, with blue colored armor and both jet and tank alt-modes.

"The competitors are just getting ready. The Games will start in 2,9 Breem Overlord," one of his team-members informed him.

"Good, very good," he said.


	4. Chapter 4: Hunters

**Chapter 4**

The Games had by now fully started...

...and the different groups were all trying to react to it, each in their own way.

Some of them were drawing back, others were actually going on the offensive, either one how it was in their nature.

The Decepticon teams were generally more aggressive, but only by a bit. And even then there were exceptions.

While they were not warriors by nature, like the Decepticons, many Autobots had adapted all to well and **learned** to be them during the millions years long war. Some of them prefered to be going all out from the start.

It was true that none of the Autobot groups was attacking the others directly, but they were clearly moving openly and showing presence to anyone who would be targeting them. Some of them actually wanted to show their captors that they were not afraid. A few Decepticons on the other hand decided to hold back or were simply too afraid to attack the others in the open.

Some others from both factions refused alone out of principle to cooperate with this sick game they had been forces into and were standing down for this reason.

So it was all a question of individuality. Ironically their behavior pretty much mirrored Jhiaxus prediction from his speech a few minutes before.

The the bad luck of the first sort of teams however, their braveness also meant that they were easier to be found and in **this** arena that could mean the difference between life and death.

xxx

Nine groups of robots and also two humans who had been accidentally transported along with them, were fighting for their lives.

There was however a tenth one under them. This one consisted of ice-cold, alone for this special purpose specially trained, killers.

And they had just found their first targets.

xxx

_A few minutes earlier_

The different groups, consisting of Autobots and Decepticons had just heard the announcement and began to move. Many of them were afraid, in panic.

Nearly all of them were experienced warriors. But they were not used to working together. Barely anyone of them even knew the other. They came from different universes, different realities and had been forced together only by the whim of their captors, just a few minutes ago. So the coordination inside their groups was very hard.

To that came that they had been kidnapped, thrown into a game of life and death. It was understandable that their morale was for the most part not exactly high.

And they had just been told hat there was another group out there that would be going after all of them. Under this circumstances it was no wonder that some of them were loosing hope.

Still many of them had decided under themselves to fight, the best they could under this conditions at least. One of these was a team of Autobots from different realities who had learned to work together very quickly.

Of course like all of the others they hated the thought of actually `taking part´ in the game. No, their plan was in fact to make it out of the fighting area or the `game-zone´ as you could call it in this case, take control of a space-bridge and get away from this planet.

It was something the the Hunters had realized very quickly.

xxx

The Hunters, Overlord, Clench, Bludgeon, Demolisher and Wheeljack. They were the most feared unit the `Games´ had ever seen and answered only to the Cybertronian Empire´s High Command.

Their first victim in this round had been a panicked Decepticon with jet alt-mode who seperated from his group and was trying to fly out of the fighting area. But he didn´t get far.

Clench had shot him down from the distance and send him to a crashing course, until a second volley from him and Wheeljack had blown the unfortunate robot to shrapnel.

Now they were getting their eyes on the Autobot group who was trying to leave prematurely as well.

"It seems we have some more cowards," Clench commented.

"No, this are more than just cowards. They actually seem to have a plan," Overlord replied. "Do you see in what direction they are moving?"

"To the city-center," the black warrior with truck alt-mode replied.

"Not exactly the best direction if you just wanted to run away, don´t you think?"

"They are trying to find a ship or a space-bridge to use it to get off planet," Wheeljack pointed out. The scientist of their team had already realized the situation.

At first Overlord was not quite sure if he could trust him with their job because of his Autobot or like it was now political correct to call it, civilian-line heritage. But the scientist had turned out to be skilled and ruthless.

"You are right, they are. But we won´t let them," he said. A smile formed on Overlord´s face.

xxx

The group of five Autobots named Jolt, Grotesque, Sandstorm, Chameleon and a female name Stila had by their own estimation made about half of the way as they were suddenly ambushed.

They didn´t even noticed them coming until it was already too late. Their opponents were just too experienced in this giant fighting-pit.

For the Hunters this arena was their second home.

The Autobots tried to take cover as they noticed their enemies close by. But before they could reach a save spot, they were already covered by missiles and laser-fire. They could made out several attacker in robot modes who were shooting at their position.

Sandstorm was directly hit by multiple shots and nearly his entire upper body blown up. He was the first.

Moments later their situation became even worse. A frightenly large robot with jet alt-mode flew in, transformed and landed right in front of them.

The stranger turned to them instantly. To their horror they saw how he materialized several heavy weapons on his body and opened fire.

Jolt was literally reduced to burning ashes by him.

The others saw this. Many feelings rushed though them at once. One of their group was overcome by his anger.

Grotesque transformed into his monster-mode and threw himself at Overlord in a uncontrolled rage. But the large Transformer only laughed, grabbed him and squeezed his head and chestplate under his bare hands.

Then he threw him away as if he was a piece of trash.

Before he could even stand up again, Clench killed the damaged Monsterbot with a precise shot through his body.

At the same time Demolisher gunned down Stila and destroyed her in a similar manner.

The last living member of their group had watched his unwilling comrades fall one by one. He knew they had no chance, yet till now he had refused to just flee and leave the others behind. But now they were all dead anyway.

Like his name suggested, Chameleon possessed a cloaking field that allowed him to turn practically invisible. It was not quite as sophisticated as that of the legendary Mirage, but it was enough for the most opponents.

Now he activated it.

But his opponents here were not like the most.

"Ah, a cloaking field," Wheeljack said. "Too bad it is yesterday´s model," he commented.

The scientist activated his infrared and radiation sensors, an upgrade that he had installed himself.

Then he fired.

The resulting explosion threw the Autobot down who had turned visible again in the moment he was being damaged.

"Wh...Wheeljack," the wounded robot stammered unbelieving, as he recognized who had shot him.

"Yes I am," he answered, right before he ended his life with a shot through the spark-chamber.

xxxxxxx

_"Th...Thundercracker?" Skywarp visibly stuttered._

"Yes... well not exactly perhaps," Scourge answered. "The form of reformation we all went through had left many changes in our programmings, but essentially, yes it is me."

The seeker was stil staring at him with an open mouth.

"What in the world has happened to you?" he finally asked.

The robot calling himself Scourge hesitated for a moment.

"It is a long story," he said then. "It all started with...actually it started with a large battle against the Autobots on Earth."

Scourge began to tell him what had happened in his world, the Battle of Autobot City, how Starscream and the others had abandoned them in space, Unicron, their hunt for the Matrix, his attack on Cybertron, Galvatron´s disappearance, the following years under Shockwave, everything.

"I have to say that is quite a tale Scourge," Skywarp answered. "Unicron, Chaos Bringer planet sized robots...and Starscream, he was willing to turn on both of us like that," he said then.

"It wasn´t the first time," Scourge reminded him.

"No," he replied.

They both indeed remembered several instances. Their memories however were not really the same.

"And on top of that this jerk had the audacity to just die and let me stuck with his job." Skywarp smirked now, but it seemed a bit forced.

"Not for long, that prick Shockwave had removed Cyclonus from the position very quickly after he took over, probably didn´t want the competion and invented some `logical´ reason to do it.

"You truly don´t like old Shocker, right? True, he sounds quite different from the Shockwave in my world," Skywarp responded. "Anyway, I have to say, you are really hard to recognized," he stated, "and whats about the beard and these wings? This Unicron truly had a wicked imagination."

"Indeed he does," Scourge replied. "But Skywarp, could you just cut it out and be serious for five astro-seconds?"

"This is a good idea," someone else interrupted them. "While we are all truly glad that you two have found each other again, we have enough from listening to your chatter."

It was one of the other members of their group. He was another version of the Stunticon leader Motormaster and just as irritating at the versions that both of them remembered.

The other two members were a helicopter named Blackout and a very strange guy named Oil-Slick who was looking and behaved just as his name suggested. They had never met one of them before.

In this moment they heard the begin of another announcement.

xxx

"Honored participants and our very appreciated audience of course," Jhiaxus voice halled over the area, "our game has made the first progress. I have to inform you that six participants has already been eliminated. This of course also means a better chance for the others. So we all are looking out to see the outcome of this round."

xxx

All over the arena, the other groups were also hearing the annoucement.

"Six...six are already dead?" Sari said horrified.

"In this short time?" Miko called out.

"We will find a way to get out of here," Arcee assured her.

"As sad as the loss of fellow Cybertronians is," Longarm reminded them, "their demise might increase our own chances of survival here."

"What? That is no way to..." the female Autobot exclaimed angrily.

"I don´t like it any more than you do Arcee, but with the rules they have given, their death might mean our life," he answered. "We should move now and find a safer place for ourselves."

Arcee growled, but admitted that he had a point.

Sari and Bumblebee exchanged a long look with each other before they also followed the stoic Autobot.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertron (Animated-universe)_

The `interference´ that Sentinel´s technicians had detected, it was actually growing, quickly. Their new modified space-bridge was getting out of control, again.

It was very similar to the last time, when they had lost Bumblebee and Sari. But this time they were able to make out the cause of the malfunction. In fact it wasn´t a malfunction at all.

It was a force from outside that had been interfering with the mechanics of their bridge.

Now this outside force had gotten active again. It was stronger before, different.

The last time the influence had caused an overloading and an uncontrolled portal through that two of them had disappeared.

This time something or rather someone was appearing.

"Bulkhead, what is happening?" Optimus called out.

"The bridge," the large green robot shouted, "it has been contacted from the outside. It´s systems are being hacked. It is receiving orders, but not from us."

"That is impossible," Sentinel Prime shouted.

"Did you not just suggest that we might not the only ones researching this form of interdimensional travel Sentinel? Maybe someone else out there had the same idea as we do," Optimus pointed out to him. "Only that they seemed to be far ahead of us in it," he said somewhat quieter.

"That is..." Sentinel said. But the more he thought about it, he realized that Optimus theory actually made sense. "Damn it," he exclaimed.

The space-bridge was being activated. Like before a portal was build up, one that connected not only different worlds but different realities.

And now someone materialized on their world.

Optimus, Sentinel and the others had already retreated to a greater distance to the unstable space-bridge as they saw them.

Six figures had appeared right in front of the space-bridge. They nearly instantly recognized them as Decepticons. But Optimus could also tell that something was definitely off about them.

One of them who was standing in front of the group had a great resemblance to the now dead former Air Commander Starscream. His design and his colors however were a bit different.

Two others, who were standing behind him, were identically build to him except for their color. Just like the clones of him who were mostly still around. But Optimus was not quite sure if this were clones.

The rest of them were three identical looking black colored robots with car alt-modes.

"We have arrived at the destination," the obvious leader reported in a strange, screeching voice through his communicator.

Despite the different sound, the tonefall reminded Optimus all too much of the Air Commander.

"Very good Starscream," he received the answer. "Continue your work and buld up a bridge-head for our forces.

While it was also a bit different, Optimus would have recognized the owner of the voice anywhere.

"If this mission succeed, we will be known as the officers who led the first conquest of a new version of Cybertron."

"As you wish Megatron," the robot replied, "and hail to the Cybertronian Empire."

* * *

**Author´s note:** The Autobot Chameleon was a character from the marvel comic story `Deadly Games´. He was killed during the same story.


	5. Chapter 5: Memories

**Chapter 5**

Skywarp wasn´t quite sure what to think. He had listened to Scourge´s explanation how he became what he was now. It gave him to think.

Being completely reformated, having your entire identity stripped from you, changed, your body, your programming.

Just how even was that? Was it possible to loose yourself? To literally become someone else?

By what Scourge had told him, **he** himself or rather his counterpart had gone through that process as well. He didn´t quite know how to feel about that. How much was his other self still...well...himself?

And what about this monstrous being that ate entire worlds?

He put those thoughts out of his mind. When they found a way to get out of this, he would return to his own reality. He would see the Thundercracker he knew and everything would be back to normal. Hopefully.

One thing was for sure, he certainly hoped that he would never meet this Unicron.

"You are right Scourge," he said, "we should take this seriously from now on and find a way to get out of here."

xxx

In a short distance to them, a group of Autobots had come to similar conclusions.

They were moving quick but carefully, trying to use the structures of the arena themselves for cover.

Arcee was a experienced scout and Sari was using her small size to made it hard to detect her.

In this way they had made it so far without being attacked. But they all knew it could and very probably would happen at any time anyway. Just like the other Autobot group they were trying to reach the adge of the fighting-zone as quickly as possible. They were just doing it a bit more stealthy than the last one.

Longarm had argued that the same device that had brought them here, probably a modified space-bridge, would also be able to transport them back. None of them argued with his logic.

Even Bumblebee and Sari, despite everything else, agreed with him, at least in this matter.

They all knew, should they actually run into one of the other teams, there were only two possibilities. It came all down to a very simple question, friend or foe?

xxxxxxx

At the same time Skywarp and Scourge were trying to determine how far their histories were identical and how much they diverged from each other.

And they were doing this in a quite easy way, by talking about old times.

"I guess we both remember the destruction of Vos," the dark colored seeker stated.

"Yes," Scourge replied. Of course he did, this was one of the important events in Thundercracker and Skywarp´s lives. The city had been their home-sector once, before the war. It was the place where they had been created.

Even if he had to admit, this old memories often felt as if they belonged to someone else. But he saw no reason to tell Skywarp this. Knowing him, it would make him only even more uneasy.

"Well how about that time 9 million years ago, when we had been stranded on this dead alien planet?" the very same Skywarp just asked him. "This nightmare world where this interdimensional creature had destroyed that entire civilization."

At this Scourge looked up.

"No, I don´t," he said, "to be honest I have not the slightest idea what you are talking about."

"No? Well you are lucky then," Skywarp told him. "The memory alone about this gave me the chills even kilo-vorn later."

"If you say so," Scourge replied.

"But...that was a long time ago. If things were turning different even back then, our world should be **quite** different by now. But you already told me that many things are very similar. Do you remember...well..."

Skywarp tried to think of an event that was significant enough and that Thundercracker...well Scourge...would know.

"...when this crazy rogue Sector-Monitor," he continued, "what was his name again? Oh yes Frostalon, had stolen the technological data of our entire crew and used them to create a small army of copies of us?"

"Yes, that incident, yes I remember that," Scourge told him. "It wasn´t exactly a good couple of days. We were stuck in the middle of the territory of a traitor with his group of cloned soldiers hunting us down."

"So you don´t know about an important event from 9 million years ago. It had never happened to you. But you do remember one from 25 back? The timelines between our universes have to be quite strange."

"Not stranger than the situation we are in now. But I think we have greater worries."

"Right," the seeker stated. "You know, this was one was one of the strangest situations TC and I had ever gotten into and there were many as you probably know. Us facing an entire band of clones of our team, mental copies. Imagine it, having your identity, your self, taken from you," Skywarp commented. "Creepy isn´t it?"

"Are you sure you are **just** talking about the copied warriors here?" The blue Decepticon was now looking at him sharply, something in his voice had changed.

"Okay Scourge, that was uncalled for, I apologize," he responded.

The former Thundercracker thought back to this incident as well. Despite that it was technically only another minor mutiny, it was well known not to say infamous through the entire army. The reason was that the Decepticons in question had been outraged that Frostalon had secretly created copies of them without their consent.

The only one who had reacted even half-way positive to his double was himself, was Thundercracker. Back then he was actually open to...if not fascinated by the entire situation. As only one under Megatron´s Earth-Crew, with the exception of the Insecticons of course, he felt a strange connection, nearly a kinship to his copy.

He also couldn´t help to notice the parallels to his Sweeps years later. They had of course actually been created from Insecticons that were already cloned from the originals and were only his copies in body and design. But the situation had still many similarities.

He sometimes asked himself if there was a reason why Unicron had turned him and nobody else into the leader of the Sweeps.

"Do **you** remember this guy who tried to replace Starscream as Air Commander?" Scourge asked Skywarp now.

"Which one? There were so many who tried that I can barely count them."

"I am talking about the one who had actually succeeded and led our trine for about a week, before he finally showed his true colors, right before the Civil-War on Earth."

Now it was Skywarp who was looking at him in open surprise.

"No, I don´t remember this and neither this Civil-War you are talking about."

"Really? In my world these were big events."

They had come to a decision. Their plan was quite different from the one of the Autobot group, but they were heading into the same direction.

"Scourge, have you detected one of the other groups?"

"Not yet," he replied. "Wait," he said one moment later, "there is someone, ahead of us."

"How many?"

"Just one as far as I can say," Scourge replied.

The Unicron build Decepticon had some of the best sensors in the known universe. It was something they were certainly profiting from right now.

"Good, then let us make a try," Skywarp announced.

Their plan so far was quite easy, find one of the other groups and form an alliance. Ten or eleven together had a better chance than five they had argued. The problem was that the other groups might decide to shoot first.

"Hey, hello," he called out.

"Yes, I am here," someone answered him.

The other one was hiding somewhere between the corridors of the maze and they couldn´t make him out clearly.

"We are one of the other groups. We don´t want to fight," he told him. "We want to talk."

"Come closer," the unknown robot asked.

Even if he played the role all too often, Skywarp **was **no fool. He was making a step forward. Still he was moving carefully.

He was a veteran seeker who had survived over 5 million years of fighting and this wasn´t something you did by being careless inside dangerous territory.

Blackout however was quite a different story. He walked right forward towards the source of the voice.

And was caught straight by the volley of laser-blasts that the stranger suddenly fired at him. The shots ripped through his body and nearly blew him out from the inside out. They all saw instantly that Blackout was beyond help.

"Damn it," Skywarp hissed. "Scourge, you take him on the right. Motormaster, Oil Slick stay behind, if he come out blast him to hell. We are going to **get** this guy."

xxxxxxx

_Animated Universe_

Six beings, six Decepticon warriors of unknown heritage had just materialized on the surface of Cybertron.

Decepticons? On a closer look Optimus saw that none of them was wearing the sigil.

Still three of them were clearly seekers, of a similar type as the Starscream they knew and the clones he had created of himself. Their leader also was another version of the late Air Commander. One of the two other jets was colored nearly completely dark-blue, the other in a deep navy green. Both were identical in design to their team-leader.

Who in the universe were this robots? Maybe this was the point. They were not from this universe.

"Now, let us begin our work soldiers," their leader, the other Starscream, said. "Take control of the space-bridge," he said to the three car-mode warriors, "and you destroy everyone who is standing in our way," he addressed the two other jets.

They had noticed the group of Autobots standing in a short distance to them. Their gaze met with their intended targets, Optimus, Sentinel and the team of space-bridge experts.

The two seekers were transforming into jet-mode and and opened fire on them nearly instantly. You could say they were throwing themselves at them like wild beasts from some savage organic planet. They were actually laughing loud while they were attacking them.

"Damn it," Sentinel hissed quietly as the first laser blasts began to hit the ground around them.

"We have to do something," Optimus said. "They are taking control of the space-bridge." He saw what the three car-mode robots were doing. "And they are trying to kill us," he added as he barely avoided another shot.

Beside him one of the technicians was hit by the blaster-fire and through the spark-chamber and his entire upper body. The unfortunate robot died within a single moment.

"I had ordered to activate Omega Supreme in case of any attack," Sentinel responded. "I guies that is the case now, right Optimus? All we need is to hold them back till he arrives."

"Then let us hope that we will not all be dead before he is here," Optimus commented. "We have to bring the civilians to safety."

Sentinel just nodded with his head.

xxx

Above them the two seekers were just enjoying themselves as they targeted the helpless robots on the ground.

After just attacking the space-bridge crew, they were now making a sweep over the closest city areas and letting a rain of destruction coming down on it. They were shooting unarmed and unsuspecting citizen who had only been spending their day, killing more than one of them, blowing up highway-ramps and crossroads and setting buildings on fire.

And within less than a minute causing a mass panic in this district.

"I don´t believe it how easy the Autobots here are to kill," one of them said.

"Yeah, the Transformers here are incredible weak, at least the Autobots," the other jet replied. "Megatron is right, this Cybertron here is ripe for the taking. Nothing but cattle for the slaughter to us this Autobots. We would actually do them a favor by putting them out of their misery," he said. "Weak Cybertronians like that should not exist at all."

Then they were turning around, heading back to the space-bridge and to Sentinel and Optimus crew.

xxx

"Bulkhead," his team-leader called out, "help us to hold them back."

"Yes Optimus," he replied.

The large and bulky Autobot placed himself in front of the other space-bridge techs who were now running for their lives.

Beside himself, none of them was a warrior. But he and the two Primes were and they would hold them back until help arrived.

All three of them were now aiming their weapons at the couple of seekers who just returned and opened fire. Their opponents were fast and deadly, nearly exactly like actual Decepticon seekers, even if they didn´t seemed to be it.

Optimus managed to hit one of them in the wing and the blasts from Bulkhead and Sentinel forced the other to draw back.

"We can make it," Optimus said.

"The others are out of reach," Bulkhead told him.

"Good, then let us fight **these** guys up there now," his Prime stated grimly.

But in this moment a large explosion was filling the sky above them.

"Like so often you are a little too late Optimus," Sentinel remarked.

A battle-ship had appeared, fired at the two seekers and was right now transforming into a giant robot, Omega Supreme. His multiple weapon systems were activated and aimed directly at the enemies.

"What? one of the two seekers called out in total surprise at who they were facing. But before he even had the chance to react in any way, he was hit by a blast from one of Omega´s main-cannons and blew up in a large ball of fire.

The second jet was desperately trying to fall back, but the super-robot had already targeted him as well.

"As I told you, Omega Supreme will deal with it. I had him in stand-by after all," Sentinel declared smugly.

xxx

"No, no," the alternate Starscream shouted as he saw their new opponent.

"You, go, attack him," he turned to the three car-robots standing next to him, "we can not loose this new stronghold for the Empire."

The three were looking at him as if he had lost his mind, but then they saw his weapons pointed at them and after a few more moments they followed his command.

Starscream saw after them as they run forward, firing at the super-robot. As soon as they were out of eye-range he turned to the space-bridge controls. They would buy him enough time to prepare his transport out of here.

Megatron and his idiotic ideas, he thought. Why had he listened to him?

xxx

Omega Supreme noticed the three new attackers who were firing on him. They were however no threat.

Nearly instantly he blew one of them apart and then shot down the second jet who crashed into the street and left nothing but a burning destroyed wreck.

xxx

"Their leader is still standing at the space-bridge," Optimus said to the others. "We need to bring it back under control."

"You only want a piece of the glory for yourself right?" Sentinel grinned.

"For all we know he could call reinforcements and then turn this planet into a battle-field," his fellow Prime reminded him.

"Okay, I see your point. Let us get this guy," Sentinel replied, still grinning.

All three of them stormed forward, right into Starscream´s direction.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Universe_

"The fight is going as you had predicted Megatron. Starscream has run into far greater resistance than the data had led to believe."

"Good," he responded, "I guess that means the chances are good that our friend Starscream will not survive this battle." The expression on Megatron´s face turned into a grin.

"The Liege Maximo will not be happy when he finds out that you have send Starscream´s group out with incomplete information," the robot next to him stated. "I know Starscream has caused problems for you in the past and was a thorn in your side, but that doesn´t mean..."

"Don´t worry about it Orion," Megatron told him. "If my plans will succeed, then the Liege Maximo will be moe than pleased, at least for the moment."

"And if they don´t succeed?"

"Believe me old friend, they will," Megatron, Liege Centurio of the Cybetronian Empire, stated.

Beside him his fellow officer Orion Pax hoped that he was right.

* * *

**Autor´s notes:** This chapter has a few references to other stories. This means the parts where Skywarp and Scourge were talking about `old times´.

\- The first is the tale about the dead planet where they faced a creature from another dimension. This happened in my own story `Nightmare´. Also mentioned in this story is the attack on the city Vos. This however is not really my idea. The battle and the destruction of this town is being mentioned in a number of different stories from many authors.

\- Next are the events about the Cybertron Sector-Officer Frostalon who rebelled against Megatron and created a group of `clones´ of Megatron´s earth-crew to fight the real Decepticons. Everything connected to this belongs to the story `Hunted´ by the author Wayward and is mentioned here with permission.

The parts about the `guy who was trying to replace Starscream´ and the civil-war is not part of an actual story but just something I have made up for this situation. But maybe I will use this ideas for a story at a later time.


	6. Chapter 6: Plans and ideas

**Chapter 6**

_Animated universe_

But not only in this parallel universe, but also in their own someone was following the events.

Ironically it was another variant of the same being, Megatron. He was the one of this universe, the leader of the Decepticons.

"Interesting, very interesting," he said as he watched the recording their spies had made. "As it looks the Autobots had the same idea as we did," he commented.

Next to him stood a line of other robots, all of them Decepticon warriors he had gathered during the months since he had escaped Autobot captivity. Under them were Lugnut, Shockwave, Blitzwing and the assembled Team Chaar.

They were standing inside one of the many basis the Decepticons had established throughout the known cosmos. It was build on a unpopulated planetoid in a not all too great distance to Cybertron, the ideal location for an outpost to prepare strikes against their enemy.

"But it seems someone has interrupted them," he pointed out. "What do you think?" he addressed one of the other robots, one particular one.

His name was Cyclonus, formerly one of the members of Team Chaar under Strika. He was a very large purple colored warrior with jet alt-mode. Until recently Megatron admitted, he had never paid much attention to him, despite that he was known to be competent and very powerful. Now however this had changed.

It was then, when he had much to his surprise realized that this warrior was nobody else than another version of the Second of Command of his own alternate self called Galvatron.

The two were slightly different in design and body modification and they certainly differed in personality by what he had seen of them both so far.

But that alone was not surprising. As far as he had found out, the appearance of many `doubles´ between their universes was quite diverged. To that came that many Cybertronians had the habbit to upgrade or alter their bodies over their life-time or were just rebuild after heavy damage.

No, what was truly astonishing was that he had heard that `Cyclonus´, like Galvatron, was in fact a secondary identity given to them by the being known as Unicron. A few decades earlier, as he was told, the Megatron of their world and a group of wounded warriors had been reformated by him into their current forms.

But Unicron had never appeared in their universe. So where did this Cylonus come from? Megatron became curious and started to investigate. In part that simply meant just picking the Decepticon in question up for interrogation.

What he had found out was more than fascinating. Cyclonus, their Cyclonus, as it had turned out, had one day just appeared out of thin air over the Decepticon main-colony of New Kaon, during an ion-storm. The garrison had repaired him and recruited him into their ranks.

But actually as it looked like and as he also willingly admitted, he seemed to come from the future. In this time Unicron **had** appeared and transformed it´s Megatron and a few other Decepticons in the same way he did with the other Galvatron.

But it was a future that would certainly not longer come to pass. Too much had turned out different. Cyclonus appearance alone would have changed events. To that came now their contact with the Transformers from this parallel universe. It was something that had clearly never happened in Cyclonus version of history.

That means he was in fact from yet another alternate reality. This meant he was one of the few in their universe who had ever actually experienced such a transfer, beside himself, Lugnut and Blitzwig of course. But that journey had been executed by the technology of Galvatron and **his** Decepticons and been under **their** full control.

Cyclonus had been spontanous and established with his own technology and that made him a valuable source of insight and information.

"Yes Megatron," the large purple jet responded, "their space-bridge had clearly been modified to allow space and interdimensional travel, obviously based on designs the Transformers from the `other´ universe have given to them. Or at least they are trying," he stated.

"Like us you mean?" the Decepticon leader questioned.

"Well yes," he answered a bit hesitatingly.

No wonder, they were in fact trying to create such a device on their own and Cyclonus was helping their techs with it. But so far they didn´t succeed either.

"But you **are** right," Megatron told him. "This development could be useful for us," he stated. "Shockwave, prepare a team. We are leaving for Cybertron´s sector in five breen. We are trying to find out whatever information we can and if we get any chance, we will destroy their space-bridge."

"As you command Megatron," the one-eyed Decepticon replied.

xxx

At the same time the fight on Cybertron they had been watching was slowly coming to an end.

Omega Supreme was just blasting away the last two of the car-mode robots, Optimus and Sentinel were rushing to confront the alternate Starscream who was standing at the space-bridge controls.

As he saw that the seeker was trying to activate the bridge, Sentinel opened fire.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian universe_

Skywarp and Scourge were moving nearly simultanously. In a sense they both had been working together for millions of years, even if it were not truly them.

The seeker made a simple gesture with his hand that the Sweep leader instantly followed by taking cover and pointing his weapon at the corridor before them.

After a few moments the unknown robot they had been approaching came out of hiding. Or better said he was storming out with blazing guns.

Skywarp recognized now that it was an Autobot he had never seen before. He was a middle-sized, bulky mechanoid, maybe a half-head smaller than himself.

"You won´t trick me Decepticons," the robot yelled, "I won´t fall for your ambush, die," he shouted.

"You have nerves talking about ambushes," the seeker retorted, while a laser blast hit the wall behind him a few meters beside his head.

"Spare me your lies Con. You have killed my partners, but now it´s your turn."

"You idiot, that wasn´t us," Skywarp yelled back. "We didn´t plan to trick you. But **now** you are scrap metal walking," he said while he returned fire.

At the same time Scourge and Motormaster started to attack him from two different directions. It was just the maneuver they had planned in case something like **this** would happen.

One blast from Motormaster´s weapon hit the rampaging robot in the shoulder. The shot caused only minimal damage, but brought their opponent off balance and forced him to stop firing on them and it gave the rest of their group an opening.

Split seconds later another blast from Scourge hit him and then Skywarp ended it by firing a shot through his already weakened chest-plate. The three of them exchanged a short look before they took a step forward.

"And here I was told that Autobots are peaceful," Skywarp commented with some sarcasm as he was looking down at the body.

"It is a damn waste," he said with a side-glance to the dead form of Blackout. They had tried to find allies and instead lost one of their own group. "Do you still think this is a good idea Scourge?" he asked.

"I think it is our best chance, now that we are one man less probably more than ever," he replied. "But the next time we **all** should be prepared."

"Yes, you say it, this guy here could certainly have done something as well," Motormaster stated, pointing to Oilslick.

"I didn´t think it was necessary," the strange looking Decepticon replied. "You dealt with the situation quite well after all."

"Yes we did, but the next time you can decide to move your hide and help as well or **we** might decide that we don´t need you anymore," Scourge told him.

"Oh, I thought we need **every** man. Wasn´t that the reason why we are trying to ally with one of the other groups in the first place?"

"That might be, but if you are not moving a limb while we are attacked, then you are useless to us anyway," Skywarp retorted.

He was sure about one thing. He didn´t like this guy. Something about him just let his alarms going up.

Oilslick´s appearance was just as eccentric as his behavior. He was a large mostly black colored mechanoid. Skywarp had seen earlier that he transformed into some sort of motor-cicle, but he wouldn´t have been able to tell it from the way he looked. Over his head and that was the most bizarre thing, he was wearing some kind of glass helmet.

As Motormaster had asked him, he had explained that he was an expert for chemical weapons and that it was a protection against the accids and toxins he was using. For the black seeker it was just more evidence that this guy was a creep.

"Of course, if you say so," Oilslick replied smoothly.

Skywarp had no doubt that he wouldn´t give a damn if they all died here, as long as he had a chance to escape.

"Someone is coming closer," Scourge informed them.

xxx

At the same time the group of Autobots had come closer to them.

"Did you hear that?" Sari asked.

"Blasterfire," Arcee responded. "Come." She gestured to them to move.

After a few more minutes they were beginning to make out the other group in front of them. It were Decepticons like they very soon realized. This was not what they had hoped for.

xxx

Skywarp, Scourge and the others had once again drawn their weapons.

They were waiting for the newcomers to arrive.

xxx

"Decepticons," Arcee said a warning to the others.

"Maybe we can go around them," Bumblebee suggested. But he was quickly disappointed.

"We know that you are over there," one of the Cons shouted, "come out."

"As it seems we can not," Cliffjumper commented. "Now let us go," he stated while lifting up his gun.

"We are coming," Arcee called out. "But you shouldn´t think we are harmless. We will blast you if we see anything funny."

The five Autobots and the techno-organic came out into the open, followed in some distance by the two humans.

Decepticons and Autobots finally met and pointed their weapons at each other.

"Well, nice little stand-off," Rotorstorm commented as he saw the situation.

They had just noticed the two destroyed robots a few meters next to them and got even more ready to fight.

"We want to offer you a deal," the black seeker who was standing in front of his group said to them to everyone´s surprise. He was one of the Decepticons they remembered from earlier.

"Have you made **him** the same offer," Arcee asked sarcastically, pointing to the dead Autobot.

"Hey, this guy attacked us," Skywarp replied. "He was so convinced that we wanted to kill him that he shot first and got himself killed instead. We only want to get out of here and our chances are better if we are working together with one of the other teams."

"I see," Arcee remarked.

"To be honest we would have also preferred a group of Decepticons, but you just happened the first ones we run into."

"Strange, I feel exactly the same way," she responded, still pointing her gun at him.

"Arcee," Sari spoke up, "maybe we should listen to what he has to say."

"He is a Decepticon, we can not trust him," she stated.

"Maybe not," Bumblebee replied, "but they want to get out of here just as we do and at least they had not shot us on sight, that is as far as we know more than we can expect from the most others here. As far as we know **everyone** here is meant to kill us."

"That is at least what our captors intent," Sari reminded them. "Shouldn´t that be reason enough for us to do the exact opposite?"

"The techno-organic has a pont here," Rotorstorm mentioned. "She is right by the way, we need allies and we don´t have the the option to be picky about them. Maybe we should try to cooperate with them, at least for the time being."

"Damn it," Arcee cursed, "well okay." She began to lower her gun a bit. "I you truly think so we could..."

"No," someone else stated. It was Longarm. "They are our enemies. What you suggest is not `logical´. They will try to destroy us as soon as they don´t need us anymore."

"Maybe, maybe not. But until them their presense might surely keep us alive," Rotorstorm claimed. "I mean, we can double our numbers here."

"I agree with him," Jack joined the conversation. He and Miko had come closer by now. "Look, we are trapped here in a death-maze right? They could truly save our lives, even if they turn against us in the moment we get out of here."

And now a human gets involved," Longarm commented. "I **won´t** agree to this." While he said this he moved backwards, further away from the Decepticons, as if to make a statement.

Bumblebee who was standing close to him saw that he was charging his weapon. He was still moving, in angle that seemed somewhat strange to the yellow Autobot.

"I commend that we go our separate ways," he told them. "Whoever agrees should come with me," he offered.

Cliffjumper looked as if he was clearly in agreement with Longarm and was ready to go with him. Arcee was making a move as if to follow him, but then stopped for a moment and exchanged a look with Jack who had proposed to accept the Decepticons idea.

"Jack..." she began to speak, but then she was cut off.

"**Don´t** move," somebody said now. It was Bumblebee. They all saw that he and Sari had their own weapons drawn. But they were not pointed at the group of Decepticons, but at Longarm.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"Do you really think nobody here knows who you are?" Bumblebee addressed him. "Do you think nobody could recognize you, Shockwave?"

"We **knew** you from our world," Sari announced. "We only waited to know for sure that you are the same."

All of them, Autobots and Decepticons alike, froze now as they heard this.

Arcee´s gaze turned around from the other group to the grey colored `Autobot´ who had been with them since they had arrived here.

xxxxxxx

_Animated universe_

"No," Starscream shouted as he saw the group of Autobots who were attacking him just as he was about to activate the space-bridge and get away from this blasted universe.

Without the slightest hesitation he fired on them. But it was already too late.

Sentinel Prime had already reached him and tackled the seeker. This however turned out to be a grave miscalculation.

Starscream was thrown against the controls and suddenly the bridge´s systems were being activated, but not exactly in the way had had wanted.

Sparks of electicity flashed over the consols and a large transwarp bubble was being build up, not very unlike the last time. Before they even fully realized what was going on, a few were caught by the quickly growing energy sphere.

Moments later it was over.

"Where are they?" Bulkhead asked.

Sentinel and Optimus Prime, just as the foreign seeker, had vanished.

xxxxxxx

_Somewhere else_

"Were...where are we?" Sentinel asked as he had come back to his senses.

"I...I am not sure," Optimus replied.

Their surroundings? this place, whereever it was, well it looked somehow like Cybertron...a bit...in some way.

But in between the familiar mechanical contructions were growing plants. Small groves of exotic trees were right next to large metallic buildings, where they should not have existed.

The place they were standing on looked like a bizarre mixture of a metallic and a organic planet. One thing was for sure however, they were not longer home.

"Sentinel, what the slag have you done?" Optimus asked him.

"I don´t know."

* * *

**Authors note:** The information about `Animated Cyclonus´ backstory comes from the Transformers Animated AllSpark Almanac.


	7. Chapter 7: Hidden Purposes

**Chapter 7  
**

_Cybertronian universe_

At the same time, in one of the large-scaled buildings of the sector, building several miles away from the fighting area, a meeting was taking place.

This meeting was held between nobody else than the four officially most powerful individuals of the Empire.

One of them was Jhiaxus, who had even temporally abandoned his work in organizing the `Games´ for this conference.

Next to him stood Megatron, the Megatron of this reality, alternate self of countless Decepticon Supreme Leaders. But **he** was a part of their Empire instead.

And beside him was a large green armored robot with jet alt-mode, not quite as tall as for example Overlord, but still larger than any regular seeker. This was Skyquake, commander of the elite-force known as the Predators and the youngest of the Liege Centurios.

But by far the most imposing of them was the fourth being in the room.

This one was different from the other three robots, in far more than one way.

One of these was simply that he had the average size of a gestalt. He was broad, massive, dark armored, completely in black. His face showed in opposite to most Cybertronians no humanoid features.

There were only the glowing red eyes and a mouth filled with razor sharp, savage looking metallic `teeth´. It was an appearance that the most living beings would have only imagined in a nightmare.

The others were standing in opposite to him in the room. They were facing him, referring to him.

He was the Liege Maximo. Beside many other things he was the barely seen but in the end ultimate Supreme ruler of the Cybertronian Empire. Even some of his own officers didn´t knew much about him beyond rumor,

many had never even actually met him.

Before him were standing his three so called Liege Centurios Megatron, Jhiaxus and Skyquake.

They were his enforcers, his right-hand men, they were the ones who actually kept the things running. It were this three who were the ones executing the direct political power in their state.

They were the three visible faces of the Empire.

All that while he was mostly staying in the background, quietly following his own plans for the future. His designs went further than only this Empire, than only this universe.

They **all** however ultimately answered to **him** alone.

Just as it was fitting. He was after all far more than just some military emperor or territory ruler, he was one of the Original Thirteen, one of Primus first creations, a Prime and far more than that.

Before them a line of visual screens showed various recording of events from different parts of the imperial territory. All of them had happened just during the last few days.

It were scenes of military movements, of attacks, terror and unspeakable horrors, but also of various construction sights and other civilian activities, all what was important enough to be discussed here.

"According to the reports from Sector E-2372 in Galaxy 001, the rebels have improved their defense positions," Skyquake stated. "They were still holding themselves on this organic planet called Earth. Our forces however have put them under siege."

"The rebels are not much more than a nuisance," Jhiaxus spoke up. "I am far more concerned with **your** inability to deal with them than with their actual strength Skyquake. This `Earth´ had been chosen for sterilization stellar-cycles ago and it is still intact."

Behind him one of the screens showed a large ongoing space-battle over a blue planet with a yellow sun. Another beside it showed pictures of a large Earth city lying in ruins, with a number of robots and native `humans´ standing between the destroyed buildings, rebel forces.

"Maybe you want to lead the outer-region forces instead?" the green jet-robot responded. "Then we can see how much luck **you** have in rooting them out."

"When I have been charged with the elimination of one small organic world in the past, it is usually done within a quintum," Jhiaxis said coldly and without emotion.

"That is enough," the Liege Maximo now raised his voice. "Maybe we should consider that the rebels might be stronger than we have expected. You are right however in one point Jhiaxus, the rebels are no real threat, not to us. But they could still be a hindrance to our plans. We will deal with them in full force soon enough. Something else?"

"Our commander in the E-2357 sector reported the successful elimination of all life on the planet E-2357-05 at the edge of disputed space," Jhiaxus now responded. "I think the rebels were calling this planet Tlalakan."

Another screen showed a world that was now a liveless wasteland, being roamed by Empire troops and construction forces that were preparing the construction of their newest base. Soon the `terraforming´ of the entire planet would begin, to harbor cybertronian life.

"With this we have direct access into the rebel territory. We can form better supply lines for our troops and eventually fight the rebels on two fronts," Skyquake assured him. "It won´t take long anymore."

"I will hope that," the Liege told him as he was literally looking down at his third leading officer, "for your sake. Otherwise I will follow Jhiaxus suggestion to put **him** in charge of our outside forces and **you** will be his first new target for termination."

"Yes master," he answered.

"See to it." The large ancient Cybertronian turned now back around to the others.

"Now tell me Jhiaxus, how is the current project **you** have been entrusted with?" he asked.

"The `Games´, they are progressing just as expected. A significant number of participants had already been eliminated. Soon we will see who will be left,"

"Don´t loose sight of the true purpose of the project," he reminded the officer. "I don´t care how many of the `participants´ loose their lives or keep it, as long as you bring in the promised results."

"Of course not my Lord," Jhiaxus answered. "We will have the expected data within a few solar-cycles."

"Good," the Liege Maximo stated. "That leaves us with your department Megatron," he addressed the last of them.

"Yes my Lord, our research is making remarkable progress."

"Is that true, I have been informed that you have just recently lost one of your scout-groups?" he questioned.

"True, this team was a regrettable but ultimately insignificant loss. The information we have gathered however more than made up for their demise," Megatron assured him.

"I see," the Liege responded. "You are right, the mission comes before any small number of troops. And I am sure the loss of **Starscream** was an especially regretful event for you," he commented.

"Of course, such an...`ambitious´ young officer. The Empire needs robots like him."

They both knew what he had done. He had send Starscream and his team to their death. They both knew that the other was aware of this and they both knew that he wouldn´t say anything.

Starscream had been a small but notable threat to his position and he had disposed of him in a way that was acceptable, even if not really commendable in their society.

Assassination and set ups for rivals or unwanted individuals were silently tolerated in their society. It was a leftover from the old, by now in it integrated Decepticon, culture. Starscream had been careless to fall into such a trap in the first place.

Yes, the Decepticons had been useful for his plans in the past, so it would be a good idea to keep `something´ of their culture alive. He would knew that perfectly since he was in many way responsible for their rise, in more than one sense.

His eyes laid now on the robot before him, his oldest Liege Centurio.

Megatron, named by him in irony after one of his old `brothers´, Megatronus Prime, The Fallen himself. Just like The Fallen had once brought down the society of the prehistoric Cybertron, Megatron was meant to destabilize the more recent one.

He was in some ways his greatest creation. Only Jhiaxus and Overlord could in the best case compare in strength and firepower, them and maybe a few others in intelligence and cunning.

But looking at what **he** had once achieved...

Megatron had reformed the once beaten ancient warrior caste of Cybertron into one of the strongest military forces in the known universe and that only in a few years. He had in many cases successfully and in some others nearly successfully taken over Cybertron with the army he himself had created.

When he had lost it, then it was mostly through outside influence, in many cases Unicron himself.

But all that didn´t mean **this** Megatron.

Like all of the Original Thirteen, the Liege Maximo was a multiversal singularity. This meant there were no alternate versions, only him across the multiverse. Even if he had in the past, like some of the others, tried to circumstance this rule in various ways.

He had created many Megatron´s in many different worlds, that then during the course of time branched off into even more alternate realities. In most of them he had started the Great War between the Decepticons and the Autobots in one form or the other and in all of them this had served directly his purposes.

Yes, Megatron was in many ways one of his most impressive creations. But sadly he was also one of his most uncontrollable.

Nearly all of the variants over the multiverse resisted his influence over him, his attempts to control him from the shadows. Most of them rebelled against him, in many cases successful. `Megatron´ then took over complete control of the Decepticons, in reality not only in name. This had more or less happened in countless different realities in one variation or the other.

But in the end it wasn´t a complete loss. With the formation of the Decepticons and the start of the war, they had in some sense already fulfilled their purpose.

Here however, **this** Megatron was the exception. In opposite to al this other versions, he had actually willingly submitted to his authority and even became part of their version of a new society. Out of all this variants, this single one had through some cosmic coincidence in his development actually became loyal to him.

But could he truly trust him? Or would he sooner or later turn against him as well, just like all the others.

He would definitely keep an eye on this one.

xxxxxxx

Both groups of Transformers were now standing nearly motionless, Autobots and Decepticons alike.

"Shockwave?" Arcee repeated.

"He is a double-agent, a spy," Bumblebee explained. "Shockwave had in our world been posing as an Autobot, for deka-vorn. We weren´t sure however if Shockwave had just made up the Longarm identity or if he had replaced an Autobot who already existed and **when**."

"Oh yes? So why should another Decepticons try to keep us from getting help from a bunch of Autobots and then **stay** with them?" Motormaster questioned somewhat unwilling to believe it. "On which side is he on?"

"On his own," Sari remarked. "He had infiltrated the Autobots a long time ago. He doesn´t care about any of us, just about is his mission."

"They are wrong, I am **really** Longarm, I am an Autobot" the robot pleaded.

He saw however that the others were hesitating, even Arcee and Cliffjumper, who had by what he could make out a deep distrust against Decepticons.

"Really, how many people do you know who are using the word `logical´ like a regular term?" Bumblebee remarked. "And why are you purposely trying to weaken our group."

They were good so far, both Sari and Bumblebee knew. But it wasn´t enough. A few random accusations and a story from their world would not be enough to convince the others that a member of their group was a traitor.

They needed to get Shockwave to reveal himself.

"If you are really a Autobot," Sari questioned, "then let these guys here take a look at your systems. It would not be more than a small check-up."

"Yes," Skywarp cut in now,"**why** not? It would be not much more than a check-up after all, right `Longarm´?" he stated, "Unless of course you have something to hide, now?" he asked.

At this point Shockwave knew it was over. He had hoped to find the device that had brought him here and then return to his own universe. In the ideal case he would have found a way to `loose´ the Autobots here and make it back alone.

But the meeting with this group of Decepticons had made everything more complicated. With everyone they took with them, the chance to be discovered rose. Of course they were fellow Decepticons, but they were not from his universe. So the logical decision was to leave them behind.

What he didn´t knew was that there were already others with them who knew the truth about him. They had only waited till they were sure that they were right. This meant he never had a real chance in the first place.

He saw that the weapons of Rotorstorm, Arcee and even Cliffjumper´s were now not longer pointed at the other Decepticons, but at him.

Shockwave now changed back into his original form. They all recognized the shape of the one eyed grey mechanoid.

"Well, isn´t that interesting Scourge?" Skywarp pointed out.

"I always said that one-eyed freak could not be trusted, neither version of him," the Sweep leader retorted.

"You really have a problem with old one-eye what?" the seeker commented.

"You can say that," he responded.

Shockwave now raised his own weapon.

"Please lower your weapons," he told them in his own voice. "There is no logical reason for us to fight each other."

xxxxxxx

During all that the `Games´ were continuing. All over the large fighting area Transformers of various worlds were fighting for their lives.

Two other groups of Autobots and Decepticons had just started to confront each other. In their case however the meeting ended up **less** peaceful.

xxx

Meanwhile they all were being watched.

Not only by the unseen audience of the entire barbaric spectacle, but also by a third team, the most dangerous of them all.

The Hunters had assembled on one of the higher plateaus of the giant construction and were overviewing the clash between the two groups of robots below them.

"Quite interesting, don´t you think?" Bludgeon stated matter of factly. "Who do you think will win?"

"Some of both sides will not make it, so much is clear," Wheeljack replied. "But in this case, my bet goes to the Autobot team. They seemed to have better weapons and more skilled fighters."

"Whoever it will be," Overlord stated, "they will have to deal with us later."

xxxxxxx

_Unknown universe_

Optimus and Sentinel were still trying to make sense of their surroundings. They didn´t know where they were or even in what kind of universe at this point.

While the planet they were standing on was different from anyone they had ever seen before, there was no denying that it had some obvious similarities with their home-world. Yet there were the organic areas that shouldn´t exist on a world like this.

Nothing of what they saw made sense.

And to that came something else. The two Primes had realized it just a few moments ago.

They were not alone.

Both of them saw them coming closer.

It was a larger group of…robots? Yes robots, but not quite.

At first, from the distance they had thought it were normal mechanical life-forms like them. But as the strangers came closer, they saw that just like the place around them they seemed to consist of mechanical and organic parts.

Their appearance to some level matched what they had been told about these so called Maximals and Predacons by the extra-dimensional Autobots, Optimus remembered. Two new races of Cybertronians, with organic components integrated into their systems.

These robots here however actually seemed to have gone a step further. By what his sensors told him, they seemed to be literally half-organic, techno-organics, like Sari and Blackarachnia.

There was however also someone else here. They, as they noticed right now, were not the only ones caught by the space-bridge transport.

Their enemy was brought here as well. He had landed in some distance to them.

xxx

The seeker, Starscream, or whoever he was, was just getting up again. Just like them, he was looking around in confusion for a few seconds.

"You," he shouted as he saw them. He personally blamed them for the fact that he was now left here, wherever `here´ was, instead of back home.

But he also noticed the group of natives coming closer. He saw that it were over a dozen of these strange figures. Were they friendly? Were they hostile? He wasn´t willing to take the risk.

The seeker transformed and blasted off into the sky of the unknown planet, leaving them behind.

xxx

Meanwhile Optimus and Sentinel were confronting the newcomers.

"Welcome fellow Cybertronians," the techno-organic who seemed to be the leader of the group greeted them, "my name is Cheetor."

"Wh...what are you?" Sentinel asked him in bewilderment.

"You know the way you are asking this question is not exactly the polite way to talk to somebody you have just met," one of the group of natives commented.

"Can you tell us where we are?" Optimus wanted to know.

"Of course," the leader of the group of techno-organics replied, "we are Maximals and this is our homeworld Cybertron. That you don´t seem to recognize it is not so much of a suprise however, after the Great Reformation."

"Reformation? Optimus repeated confused.


	8. Chapter 8: Logical Choices

**Chapter 8**

_Cybertronian universe_

_"Please lower your weapons. There is no logical reason for us to fight each other." _That was what Shockwave had told them.

"Really, no reason you say? Were you not all too eager to leave us behind just a few minutes ago?" Scourge asked him.

"It was the logical choice," he responded. "I had orders to avoid detection at every cost. But that question had now settled itself. And we need each other when we want to survive here."

"`Logical choice´, you use that excuse every time no matter what you do Shocker," Skywarp stated mockingly, "and as it looks in every single universe as well."

"Don´t trust him," Cliffjumper said, "I hate to say it but the Decepticons are right. He will probably abandon us the first chance he gets."

"I agree with you," Arcee confirmed. "If he was willing to leave his own people behind here, what will he do with us?"

"I nearly hate to say it, but doesn´t he have a point?" Jack called out to her. "I mean you need every man you can get right now, right?"

"Not one who will stab us in the back as soon as he sees a `logical´ reason to do it," Cliffjumper stated.

"I won´t do that, I swear," Shockwave replied.

"Really?" Arcee questioned. "Not even the other Decepticons here seem to trust you after you tried to leave them in the dust."

"The human has made a logical argument," Shockwave stated.

"So we are letting a human decide for us now?" Motormaster remarked.

This comment brought him angry glares from a few of the Autobots, but nobody actually said something.

"This human is my friend, do you get this?" Arcee told him.

"Beside that the human has a point. If we force him to leave, we might just turn him into another enemy," Oil Slick of all people pointed out.

All eyes were turning to him. So far he had not said anything during this confrontation.

"We could just kill him here and now," Scourge offered.

"A waste of energy," he commented. "Besides, I am not sure how the Autobots in our little group here would feel about killing a defenseless robot."

The members of both sidea exchanged a short and uneasy look.

If she was honest with herself, Arcee would have no great problem with the idea to just blast him away, not with all what she had already seen here and also the things she knew about the Shockwave of her own world. But she knew it was not the way of the Autobots.

Cliffjumper, the alternate self of her old partner seemed to feel similar like herself. But Rotorstorm looked more uneasy.

Even Bumblebee and Sari, the two who had exposed him originally, had obviously great doubts about killing someone who was completely outnumbered and had no real chance to defend himself, even if he had wanted to leave them for dead.

"We will keep an eye on you," she finally told him, making her decision, "**all** of us."

She saw Rotorstorm and then Sari and Bumblebee nodding with their heads, accepting her choice, then finally even Cliffjumper, and two of the Decepticons, the black seeker and the large truck-robot.

"Okay, if that is your choice," Skywarp said to her, "even if I think my `old friend´ Scourge here would have rather melted him down." He gave a side-look to his comrade who was starring grimply at the one eyed robot.

Arcee nodded to him as well. Then she addressed Shockwave.

"We will keep you along, for now. But we will certainly not trust you after what you tried to pull. Believe me, attempting anything underhanded would be `very unlogical´."

"Just what she said," Skywarp told him, agreeing to her last statement with a grin.

xxxxxxx

_Animated universe, Decepticon base_

Parallel to all that, in another world, their Decepticon leader Megatron had just assembled his strike force.

The group Shockwave had selected consisted of Lugnut, Blitzwing, Cyclonus, Strika, Blackout, this version of him a very tall robot, Oil Slick and Blackarachnia, the techno-organic who had once been called Elita 1.

She had recently rejoined the Decepticon main forces after the Autobots had made several unsucessful attempts to capture her on Earth during the last months.

They would start within the next breem. Their mission had two steps. First surveillance, find out everything possible about the Autobots new modified space-bridge and this group of attackers that had appeared on Cybertron and second, make sure that this particular space-bridge will never be functional again.

That were their goals, the mission their assembled team was preparing for, but they never truly came to achieve it or to even start.

Just a short time before they had wanted to leave, their own space-bridge was coming to live after receiving a signal from outside, from an unknown location.

"The space-bridge is being activated," Shockwave stated, "outside signal."

The entire system was designed in a way that allowed it to be activated from both sides and that completely on purpose. There was always the chance of emergence transports or just teams not having the time to contact the control-center.

Everyone who possessed the security-codes could activate the bridge per remote.

Of course there were safety-measures, like for example the existence of these codes in the first place. But as it seemed, their system, like the one of the Autobots, had been hacked.

Before they could do anything about it, just seconds later, a large group of strangers, Transformers that they had never seen before and who weren´t wearing any sigils, was passing the bridge and had materialized on their world.

The new arrivals were heavily armed warriors, over a dozen of them, Decepticons in all but name. They had no doubts that these were members of the same faction that had attacked Cybertron.

"Intruders, Decepticons alar..." Shockwave called out. But suddenly the words were stuck inside his voice box.

The others froze as well as they easily recognized the large imposing, silvery white colored robot who was standing in the center of the group of newcomers.

They all were looking, nearly subconsciously, from him to their own leader and back.

"Megatron, Leader of the Decepticons," the stranger greeted him, "I have been looking out for this meeting. It is after all not every day that you get to meet yourself," Megatron said to him.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Universe_

The Liege Maximo was watching recordings of some of the earlier reports from Megatron´s research operation.

One of them in particular had found his current interest.

It showed two large groups of Transformers, Autobots and Decepticons, who were fighting a battle on the planet named Earth.

The recording were impressive, he admitted. Their surveillance teams had truly done an excellent work here. Under different circumstances he would certainly promote the commanders responsible. But since it was Megatron´s department, he would possibly have to kill them.

He was watching the battle going on at the organic planet as if it was simply an recording of a fight on one of the neighboring moons and not an event from another dimension.

Earth, he thought for a moments, again this planet, he had come across it in several alternate worlds he had visited. Just like the stronghold of the rebel forces in this universe, he thought. Somehow this seemingly insignificant organic planet always seemed to be interwoven with the fate of Cybertron in countless universes.

In opposite to many of the officers of the Empire he didn´t share their pathetic bigotry towards organic life-forms and he was quite certain that Megatron didn´t either.

He was completely willing to admit that they as well possessed certain skills and characteristics of worth. It was just that these paled in comparison to the abilities of the Cybertronians and their various brethen in the known universe.

So it made only sense that, to create a universe as close to perfection as possible, to remove the organics to make more room for the better distribution and thriving of the cybertronian race. That of course didn´t mean that he would not destroy the Cybertronians himself it it helped him to achieve his greatest ambitions.

Still the close relationship between the Transformers and the human race of Earth in practically every reality where the two species met, led to some unsettling questions.

But **these** were questions for another time. He directed his attention once again to the battle he was watching.

And it was also especially **one** of these two groups of robots he was interested in, Galvatron, the by Unicron himself reformatted version of his own creation Megatron.

The leader of the other side was the young Prime named Rodimus, originally known as Hotrod, another younger Prime. As it seemed their legacy lived on in practically every every world where Cybertronians existed.

_"Decepticons attack,"_ the recording of Galvatron shouted, while firing his arm-mounted cannon.

Some sort of highly advanced particle weapon, he observed, in many ways even more powerful than the fusion cannon he had supplied his original Megatron design with.

All around him, the Decepticons in the recording were following the command of their leader. Some of them landed and transformed into robot-mode, others were fighting as jets or tanks.

He recognized the Unicron designed Decepticon known as Scourge, who was leading a group of three of the identical clones of him called the Sweeps in their hovercraft forms.

As he remembered, according to Jhiaxus, they had a version of him in the arena right now. That could be another valuable source of information about Unicron´s designs. He would notify Jhiaxus to either run a line of close examinations of that Scourge should he survive his fights or to simply dissect his corpse, should he fall.

Flying not far from them, he also saw Cyclonus in his space-jet mode, closely flanked by another jet, virtually identical to himself. As it looked Unicron had created not just one but two robots of the Cyclonus design in this particular universe, one the actual officer, the other a warrior like the Sweeps were for Scourge.

The Liege was taking in every detail he could of the unicronian group, memorizing them all in his databanks.

Galvatron was impressive, he admitted. His strength and firepower might even rival the level of the Original Thirteen themselves. Just as he would have expected of a warrior forged by the Chaos Bringer from the remains of one of his own most powerful creations.

Every bit about Unicron´s technology might be useful for his own future designs.

The other Decepticons present where the local versions of Spinister, Needlenose, Quake, Fangry and a number of mass produced seekers. None of them which he hadn´t already seen in other universes.

On the side of the Autobots were Ultra Magnus, Kup, Wideload, Searchlight, Chase and several others, all of them under the command of their leader Rodimus Prime.

The young Autobot leader too, was impressive. While he certainly lacked the experience that some of the older warriors possessed, the raw stength, firepower, fighting skill and tactical intelligence that he obviously possessed, allowed him actually to fight seemingly evenly with Galvatron.

This young Autobot was the successor of none else than Optimus Prime, the same robot who was also known as Orion Pax in many worlds, including this one.

Orion Pax, the same as Megatron´s adjutant. While he had certain doubts about this Megatron, it was nothing against his hidden mistrust this robot, just because of who he could have been if things were a bit different.

More than once he had actually considered to just secretly eliminate him.

So why was he knowingly keeping a parallel version of one of the most well known Autobot leaders around, a being whose counterparts in a thousand universes spend millions of years fighting everything that he was aiming to achieve?

One of the reasons was quite simple, his connection with Megatron. The two had known each other for mega-vorn. If he decided to get rid of Pax and Megatron found out, it might actually **cause** him to rebel, exactly what he had wanted to avoid.

This however, he admitted to himself, was not all of it. Despite all things that set them apart, just like himself, he was a Prime. So he felt some resistance to order his death in such a disrespectful way.

In opposite to what some people thought, being a Prime, a true Prime, was not just a rank that could be given to anybody. Of course in some universes it was treated as only a title.

But to become a real Prime, you have to be **created** with the potential. Orion Pax was one, just like Hotrod was, from the moment on their sparks had began to glow.

If he would destroy him, he should do it himself, in person, not through the work of helpers.

But things had changed now. The realization of his true goals was at hand. That meant he was not longer taking **any** risks or accepting any loose ends.

And that meant the time for both of them, Orion Pax **and** Megatron was coming to run out.

xxxxxxx

_Beast Machines Universe_

Starscream had fled, but only the distance necessary to keep himself out of direct danger.

Right now he was standing of top of one of the bizarre half-organic constructions this world seemed to be covered with and watching the events.

As it seemed were the natives not actually hostile. He had seen how they were in fact, as it seemed, greeting the two Autobots. For a moment he considered that it might have not been a good idea to fly off.

Maybe he could have come to an agreement with this beings. Maybe he could have even turned them against the Autobots. Now there was no telling what the two others would tell them about him. But he brushed the thought aside very quickly.

It hadn´t been wrong to play it save. For all he knew they could have also have shot him on sight.

He watched the two Autobots talking to the strange `robots´ or were they more cyborgs, he asked himself? Not that it mattered.

Now that he knew that this natives were not a direct threat, he could still return and try to talk to them. Sure it would be a bit harder now that the Autobots had already made contact with them. Surely they would not trust him. But he was confident he could deal with that.

After all he could tell them about his own faction whatever he wanted. He could tell them that Megatron and the Liege had forced him into the attack of their world, that he wouldn´t have done it willingly. Or even that he had been coerced into joining their forces in the first place.

Starscream knew of himself that he could be very convincing if he wanted. He could offer them information, promise them everything as long as he got help in return.

Maybe they could come to an agreement, now that they were all stranded here. That way or the other, he would find a way to turn this entire situation to his advantage.

The Liege would surely be interested in information about this place, wherever he was. Some of the designs of his surrounding reminded him of Cybertron, only that Cybertron was not half-organic of course.

xxx

Meanwhile a few miles away from him, Optimus and Sentinel Prime had just been told the basic facts about the history of this version of their home-world.

To say that both of them were shocked would be an understatement.

The Great War, a long time ago, Megatron and their version of Optimus Prime, Galvatron and Rodimus, the Pax Cybertronia and their change into Maximals and Predacons, the Predacon renegade calling himself Megatron, after the Decepticon leader and his take-over of the planet, Optimus Primal and his Maximal crew and then finally the so called Great Reformation, that turned **all** of Cybertron and it´s inhabitants into an half-organic state.

They all had listened with wild fascination, in Sentinel´s case however also mixed with some level of disgust.

It also reminded them to some degree of the history they had been told by their visitors from another universe from a few months ago.

There was however also something else. By the date these Maximals had given them, this place here was from their point of few around two and a half centuries ahead of their own time.

Was this the same world where their visitors came from, just a future version of it, or was it just a very similar one?

xxxxxxx

_Animated universe, Decepticon base_

It was the Decepticon outpost located closest to Cybertron.

A group of unknown robots, led by nobody else than obviously an alternate version of Megatron had just appeared on their planet.

"I am not here to fight," the other Megatron said to them. "I am here to talk. I have an offer for you," he addressed his counterpart, "and I am sure you will see that we can both profit from it."

The Decepticon was looking at him with distrust, but he gestured to his men not to fire, at least for the moment.

* * *

**Authors note:** Blackarachnia´s background here refers to the events at the end of the story Evolution. The Autobots from the G1 timeline had given them a method to change a transorganic back into a normal Cybertronians and Optimus had hoped it would work on Blackarachnia.

Optimus had started a search mission together with Sentinel in hope to try to change her back into Elita One. But Sentinel, who had far less hope that she could ever become the Autobot they had known again, showed a far more aggressive approach and convinced her instead that they were there for her head.

So she fled Earth and finally rejoined the Decepticons in space. More to that later.

xxx

Beside that. We now have an official answer who is Cyclonus. It is different for the different universes in the multiverse.

In some realities he is Skywarp, in others Bombshell or none of them. In some other worlds he was created directly as Cyclonus in the first place.

While in my main reality so far, he was reformed from Skywarp, I have here showed a few glympses of a world were was was created from Bombshell instead and Skywarp became the secondary `Cyclonus´.

I personally think it is also connected to the Insecticon cloning ability. In a universe where this ability exist, I think Unicron would more likely create Cyclonus from a seeker and turn all the Insecticons into self replicating Sweeps or `Armada´ clones.


	9. Chapter 9: Secret Designs

**Chapter 9**

_Cybertronian Universe, the Arena_

On the ground nearly a dozen Transformers were fighting each other for their lives. Two groups consisting respectively of Autobots and Decepticon, but these had less luck during their meeting than the others.

Above them, on one of the platforms of the installation, five others were watching. They were observing the brutal spectacle with feelings that ranged from indifference to amusement.

This five were the team known as the Hunters.

Their special purpose was it to make the Games more `interesting´. They were the predators while the other groups were the one group was not willingly getting involved in confrontations, that happened quite often or was otherwise slacking off, they were targeting them.

With the two groups below them however this was hardly an issue.

At least usually this was the reason for their involvement.

This time however the purpose of the entire event was a bit different from before, at least in this case.

Originally the Games had been founded as an entertainment for the dekadent elite of the Empire. It became quickly a very polular and very brutal mass-event that was taking place at regular dates. Like just now.

It was right now the 20th run of the Games that came every deci-vorn or going by solar dates every 8,3 years.

And this time the audience had been promised something really special. This time it were not only fighters from random colony worlds or from the remote sectors of their own Cybertron who participated. No, it were Transformers from actual parallel dimensions that the government had collected for their entertainment. That was at least what they had been told.

Officially the reason for the entire bloody spectacle was just the same like any other of the earlier events.

Behind the scenes however it had this time a second, greater purpose. It was actually nothing less than a wide area field-test.

The leadership of the Empire wanted to find out about the exact combat abilities of the Cybertronians from each universe. In that way they wanted to determine the most easy and most valuable targets.

For many years now the Empire had been working on the technology that would give them access to new universes and realities. But now for exploration and scientific progress, certainly not. No, it was as a mean to conquest.

In their own world the Empire was currently locked in a ongoing static war with the rebel faction that had risen up one half vorn ago.

But if they could invade one of the other dimension, one that was an easy target, then they could find the recources to put an end to this situation once and for all and become the dominant force in known space again. Maybe even in both universes.

That was at least the reason that the greatest part of the military and political leadership had been given for this entire venture.

In truth however, just like the population, they also didn´t have the whole picture. Behind all the facades, the Liege Maximo himself had another, even more secret scheme that was going on.

xxx

Right now however nothing of that seemed to play a role as the eyes of the Hunters were directed at the carnage below them.

The two groups of Autobots and Decepticons were ripping each other apart. Both of them had come into contact less than a half hour ago and were were involved into heave close range combat. In opposite to the other two groups who had met around the same time, they had no cool and collected heads around who pointed out that a temporally alliance might be of greater benefit. Instead one of their members opened fire on sight and the others followed.

A quarter of them, two of each side were already dead. The rest was switching between taking cover between various superstructures and firing at their opponents.

From above them Overlord, the leader of the Hunters was watching the display in slight amusement.

One Autobot was just getting ready to fire as he had locked his weapon on it´s target, but then he froze. He recognized the opponent before him. Not only that, he knew her like barely anybody else.

She was a Decepticon femme who had defected millions of years earlier to the other side. He had met her as she became part of his sector crew on Cybertron, they became friend and over time they formed a close bond.

This was her before him and yet it was not. So far he had only seen her from the distance while both of them were covered behind metal structures. As he finally realized who was in front of him he could not bring himself to pull the trigger.

Only that in the universe the femme came from she had never changed sides in the first place. She had stayed a Decepticon and never actually knew him except as an enemy on the battlefield.

So came it that, while he hesitated, she fired at her opponent without any hold-backs. Her blaster bolt landed a precise hit, right at her opponent´s head and pierced his brain module, killing him in the instant.

The femme would never know what exactly had gone through the Autobot´s mind as she had killed him, what he had been for her other self. But even if she did...or cared, it would not have made any difference. Because seconds later she herself was hit by enemy fire and fell to the ground with lethal damage.

"Overlord, there is a message for you," Clench informed him.

"Now?" he questioned angrily. "Who thinks he can just disturb us while we are doing our duty?"

"It is the Liege Maximo," Clench informed him casually.

Something about Overlord´s expression changed.

"His excellency?" he said. "Has it stated what he wanted?"

The other robot shook his head.

"I see, I will answer it right away," the Hunter leader responded.

xxxxxxx

_Beast Machines Universe_

Optimus and Sentinel had by now gotten used to their own presence on this other Cybertron...and it was Cybertron, even if it was a version that they barely recognized.

To be precise they had come to terms with it enough to overcome their initial shock and start to find a way back into their own world. To their luck it turned out that the Transformers of this universe as well possessed transwarp technology. But sadly not exactly the form that they needed.

Optimus was talking to the leader of the group they had met who went by the name Cheetor. It was a name inspired by his alt-form like he admitted and slightly different from the one he had been created with.

Beside him there was also Silverbolt, a flyer of some sort and most disturbing for them a femme calling herself Blackarachnia, who on top of that had a spider alt-mode. But by what he had been told she was clearly not a reformated Elita 1 but a completely different being.

Even then Sentinel had nearly snapped as he saw her. He had still trouble dealing with the fact that he was on a planet full of techno-organics.

Cheetor had already told him about his and the other´s roles in the events known as the Beast Wars and the following take-over of Cybertron by Megatron the 2th. It was a more than fascinating tale, Optimus had to admit, even it it had some really disturbing implications.

The attempt of Megatron to change the past, his conquest of Cybertron and changing the entire population into mind-controlled drones and then of course the complete reformation of the entire planet.

Yes, this was all very unsettling, but it was not what was their problem right now.

"Cheetor, you said that your transwarp-technology can allow you to travel through time right?" he asked.

"Yes," he replied, "but not into alternate universes, that is probably what you are implying. Believe me...aehm Optimus," it was obvious that the Maximal felt somewhat strange using that name, "if we could do it I would gladly offer to help you. But we have no access to this particular variation. As we told you when you told us your tale, we can offer you shelter and a place to stay if you shouldn´t be able to return. You are welcomed as guests here if you aren´t hostile and willing to live by our laws."

"So you **won´t** help us," Sentinel stated. The accusation in his tone was equally easy to make out. He just couldn´t help it but the thought of actually having to stay here made him sick.

"You can not honestly expect us to develop a completely new form of technology just to bring two...pardon if I say it like that...interdimensional castaways back home," Cheetor pointed out, "or three if we count the guy who had flown off."

"As we told you, he isn´t one of us," Optimus replied. "He was one of the attackers who had indirectly caused us to end up here."

"That means he might be a threat," Silverbolt mentioned. "Maybe we should keep our eyes open for him."

"One robot who doesn´t even know the environment can hardly be so dangerous," Blackarachnia who was walking next to him responded. "That means of course if we can even trust this two," she commented.

"Hey," Sentinel called out.

"What do you mean, if we can trust them? They are **Autobots**... just like our ancestors," Silverbolt said to her.

"Yes they are and for all we know the Autobots could be a tyrannical fascist government in their universe. We just don´t know enough about them. You know your overly noble nature is the reason I love you, but sometimes it makes you just** too** trusting," she told him.

Or blind and stuck in a black-white world view, she thought silently. He always did have what could be called a serious white-knight syndrom, to the point where he was nearly considered somewhat crazy, even by the other Maximals. It was however something that had always in the same parts annoyd and fascinated her, even when she had still been with the Predacons.

"What do you just say you twisted abomination," Sentinel demanded now. "As if **you** were in any position to judge the Autobots."

"Don´t talk to Blacharachnia like that. She is a lady, so apologize you impertinent thug," Silverbolt berated him loudly.

"You call that thing a lady?" he responded.

The white colored Maximal was now more than just close to attacking him. In opposite to what many thought Silverbolt had actually matured a lot since his activation from a protoform during the Beast Wars. Some time ago he would have long blasted the bigoted Autobot at this point. Now he was showing serious restraint, but nobody talked about his beloved like that.

"That is enough Sentinel," Optimus interrupted them. "I have to apologize for my friend. He has strong...prejudices towards techno-organics and he is simply under much stress since we are here. I assure you that the Autobots of our world are not...as your collegue has put it, a tyrannical fascist government. Sure, we are not perfect, but believe me...we are **trying**."

Well, the Decepticons would certainly claim something else, he thought. But that wouldn´t mean much. It became clear a long time ago that Megatron wasn´t interested in either negotiations or compromises. **He** wanted them all dead and accepted no other solution.

"Okay Optimus," Cheetor answered, "You are right, there is no reason to start a fight here." He was looking at both Sentinel and Silverbolt. "I have to say you truly did just sound as if you were an alternate version of the legendary Optimus Prime just now. But somehow I can hardly imagine the ancient Autobot leader Sentinel Prime acting like this," he stated in a pointed voice.

The expression on both their faces became more uneasy and in the blue Autobot´s case, slightly ashamed. Sentinel himself knew all too well that his attitute towards organics and half-organics had not exactly caused positive results in the past, more like complete disasters.

He remembered how this bastard Karrus had used his own prejudices and fears to manipulate him and nearly bring **his** Cybertron into a war they could not win. After the entire scheme had been revealed and he realized what his way of thinking had nearly caused, Sentinel had tried to change, he really did.

But being here, in this place, had brought back out all his phobias a hundred times over. Especially with the looming possibility that they might not be able to return, he thought.

"Someone is approaching," Silverbolt stated, interrupting Sentinel´s thoughts.

It was indeed someone coming, it was the seeker they had been talking about earlier.

He transformed and landed right in front of them. They **all** had their weapons pointed at him, the two Autobots just like the native Maximals, as precaution. But he just raised his arms in a obvious gesture of peace.

"Wait...wait," he said, "I have not come to fight you."

"I didn´t have that impression the last time we met," Optimus responded.

"That was in another universe and under different circumstances," the seeker answered. "You can believe me, if I had things my way I would have never attacked your world. But sadly my superiors had the idea and I had to follow orders. But now we are all ahm how shall I say?...guests in this new reality."

"Who are you?" Cheetor asked him.

"My name is Starscream," he answered.

This statement made the three Maximals around them tense, as Optimus realized.

"Yes, we recognize that name. It is one of the most infamous ones in our history," Cheetor replied.

As a known mass murderer, backstabber and traitor, he thought silently. But it would not really be fair to judge this robot by the actions of his counterpart. Still the name was not exactly something that awoke his trust, especially since he and his team themselves had to deal with their Starscream in the past.

He would definitely keep an eye on this one...even more than on the other two. Blackarachnia was right, he knew, only because they ressembled and used the names of famous characters from their history, it was no reason to trust them blindly.

xxx

At the same time however, without any of them knowing yet, a connection was being built up to their world from another.

The enemies who their new `guests´ had left behind, were about to follow them.

It was however not a simple space-bridge that was being activated, but one of the large orbital warp-gates over their planet.

The invasion of their world was about to beginn.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Universe  
_

At the edge of the fighting area one at the first look unremarkable building, was in fact one of the surveillance stations for the Games. From places like this the bloodthirsty event was recorded and broadcasted into the entire Empire.

The two bored looking guards didn´t seem to take their task that seriously. They were in the heart of the Empire after all. The only possible attackers were the ones in the arena and they would have never expected some of the `participants´ to come that far.

It was a conviction that they came to deeply regret now as Skywarp appeared right in front of them and shot them both at short distance.

Moments later Arcee, Scourge, Rotorstorm, Cliffjumper and Motormaster came out of their cover and charged at them. It was over withing seconds and the guards were lying on the ground as two destroyed wrecks.

The allied group was now blasting open the doors of the building, while Skywarp teleported inside to attack whoever would be facing them from two sides.

Three more soldiers stood in their way, but were vanquished just as quickly as the first ones. All what was left was a small group of technicians who nearly instantly surrendered.

Arcee, Scourge and Shockwave were now forcing one of them all the information availlable at the station.

What they were in first line looking for was the location of the device that could transport them home. But they also received numerous other data about several topics. What shocked them the most was the information about the state and the policies of the Empire.

They found out about the ongoing war that it was waging against the rebel-forces, a war that had already devastated wide areas and entire population centers on the planet Earth that they all knew, about the background of the `Great Games´ and how long it had already been going on

and they found out about the policy of the Empire about other worlds.

"I...I don´t believe it," Arcee said in complete horror as she red the data that the tech had given to them.

This so called `Cybertronian Empire´ had, by what it stated, completely wiped out the population of at least 25 habitated planets and then started to terraform them in the image of the planet Cybertron.


	10. Chapter 10: Invasion

**Chapter 10  
**

_Beast Machines Universe_

In orbit, high above the planet Cybertron, one of the transwarp-gates that were positioned in Cybertron´s orbit was being activated.

Only seconds after the connection was completed and the path between the dimensions had opened, the first of the invaders were entering the new universe.

These invaders were not a single force, in fact they were actually two allied groups who had just made the decision to work together only a short time ago.

The first of this two factions were the Decepticons from the same reality as Optimus and Sentinel Prime, the second one was the contingent of warriors from the Cybertronian Empire that had recently transfered into their dimension.

The Decepticon named Blackarachnia, who was one of these troops, thought back about what had happened.

How it had come to all of this.

_xxx_

The two groups of heavily armed robots had their weapons pointed at each other.

Both of them were waiting for the orders of their leaders, who ironically seemed to be two versions of the same person.

Yet despite that they had just infiltrated their base…and as it looked very likely their universe, the posture of the obvious alternate Megatron was not overly aggressive. It was quite the opposite actually.

_"I am not here to fight. I am here to talk. I have an offer for you."_ That is what he had told them. It sounded a bit strange from someone who had just came in unannounced in front of an entire band of armed warriors.

On the other hand was the Megatron she knew also never one for smaller gestures and would have probably offered `peace´ in the same way.

They all, the Decepticons of this dimension, were looking at their leader.

He had lowered his cannon, they saw, but only by a little bit, so that he could readjust it in a split-second if needed.

"And what exactly do you propose?" he asked.

After hearing this question, the face of the alternate version showed a smile that could have easily come from their Megatron.

"For the beginning, access to the technology that brought me and my men here," doppelganger answered, "and a new target, a very valuable one. You will understand when I will tell you everything."

"Then explain it," their Megatron stated, "and don´t test my patience. You have stepped on this planet without my approval. So don´t expect to be treated as a guest, no matter `who´ you are...at least until we actually come to an agreement," he added.

"I see...just like I would react if I were in your place," the other Megatron replied.

In this moment however they were both being interrupted.

A single green colored, seemingly unremarkable looking, robot of the unmarked `cybertronian´ troops stepped forward, out of the line and addressed his commander.

"Liege Centurio Megatron, what are you doing?" the robot asked him. "This is not our mission."

His leader turned around to him.

"Ah Brunt, I see you are determined to your duty and loyalty like always," he said. "This is really commendable." Slowly his features turned into a smile. "It is too bad however that your true loyalty never was with **me**."

The expression on the robot named Brunt´s face now turned into one of, very unsettled, surprise.

"I...I don´t know what you are talking about," he replied nervously.

"Really?" the non Decepticon marked Megatron asked. "So it isn´t the case that you have been working for the Liege Maximo the entire time? That you are...how shall I say this?...a spy in my ranks?" He said this in a casual, matter of factly, tone. As if he had known this for a long time and it didn´t play a real role to him.

But as he said this he pointed his fusion-cannon at the smaller cybertronian.

"If you could give us a moment," Megatron now addressed his counterpart who had been following the exchange with mild interest while he was still aiming at Brunt. "As you see we have to clear up some `internal matters´here. I guaranty you it is not directed against you."

The Decepticon Commander gave his troops a gesture to stand down. A few of them had already once again activated their own weapons and were ready to fire as they saw the alternate Megatron raise his gun. But it was obvious that this was truly just a internal disagreement between the other group.

The look of Brunt´s face however had by now gradually changed into one of horror.

"No..that is not..." .._.true._.. he had tried to say.

Before he could even end his sentence however, he was hit by a volley of blasts from another side. His head module literally exploded and his already dead body fell down.

"Thank you Ramjet," he stated, addressing the robot who had fired the shots. "Reliable like always."

"Of course sir," he answered.

"Now, let us return to our agreement," the Liege Centurio Megatron turned back towards his other self.

_xxx_

Their `negotiation´ didn´t take long. The Decepticon leader had nearly instantly taken a great interest in what the other Megatron had offered him. He had even agreed to this seemingly insane venture here. _Invading another universe._

That didn´t meant of course that he trusted him. He had especially adviced his troops to watch out for their `allies´ just as much as for their enemies.

Now they were all part of the army that was materializing itself in this new reality. They arrived one group after the other, as they passed the upgraded space-bridge system.

After the first minute the first few dozen warriors were starting to secure the area around the gate, creating a bridge-head in this universe.

After a few more minutes however, the number of the warriors who were swarming through the open gate, in robot- or vehicle-mode, was already going in the hundreds.

It were not only the two groups who had met in their initial confrontation, but nearly the entire garrison of the Decepticon base and also all of the Cybertronian troops that were under the command of Megatron´s counterpart.

Of course even with their combined numbers, conquering all of this Cybertron would have been something very hard to realize...maybe impossible.

But that was their goal anyway. It had never been.

They were here for a special purpose.

Blackarachnia for her part was, if she was honest, less than thrilled about the fact that she was taking part in an attack on another universe. If it had been on her alone, she would not even be here.

But right now she had no great choice in the matter. She had officially rejoined the Decepticons under Megatron. That meant she had to follow orders. Even if that meant running head first into a battle in another universe.

A part of her still regretted the decision to come back. She would have never done it if it hadn´t been for the Autobots chasing her down.

That damn Sentinel, she thought. Couldn´t he have just left her alone? If he had, she wouldn´t be in this situation now.

xxx

The planetary defenses of course had long detected them and were moving to engage the invaders.

As the troop had taken their positions, a space-ship begann to appear out of the warp-gate.

It was one of the smaller vessels under the Decepticon´s forces. It´s size could not really compare to some of the truly gigantic ones under their command, like Megatron´s old flagship.

But it was still a dangerous opponent that would be able to hold the gate for some time against the forces of the natives. Especially if they wanted to avoid to destroying it

Two ships of the Maximal faction and one of the Predacons were engaging the Decepticon vessel that was flanked by a large number of Decepticon and Empire warriors in air or space-craft mode.

While this two forces clashed in orbit, others were descending down to the planet. They were attacking at different areas simultanously, targeting and destroying buildings, setting parts of the new biological portion of the landscape on fire, challenging Maximal and Predacon Transformers to fights, gunning down technicians and other unarmed natives.

All this however was ultimately also only a distraction.

During the global assault, one particular group of robots, led directly by the two Megatrons, that landed in the center of what was once the ancient Autobot capital in the sector Iacon.

The Decepticon leader was looking around at the transformed landscape of this alternate Cybertron with some uneasiness, that he was however masking in contempt.

"This is what became of Cybertron in this world?" he asked.

"Yes it is," his alternate self replied.

In opposite to the other Megatron this one´s disgust about what had happened to this version of his home-world was obvious and out in the open.

He used his fusion-cannon to blow up and completely obliterate a close by building.

"I can only hope that what you have promised me is truly here," his Decepticon counterpart stated.

"Oh I assure you it is," the other one replied. "We have spend years searching for it. Believe me, this here is the right world. It is **one** of the timelines where the object I am looking for exists."

It was a search that the Liege Maximo himself had originally set him up to, but that he had in the end continued for his own purposes.

"Come, from here on we have to go underground," he said.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Empire Universe_

In another reality, the united group of unwilling `gladiators´ had just made a very unsettling discovery.

After they had formed their temporary alliance, they had managed to take over one of the surveillance posts that were monitoring the vast fighting area.

Here they had found the information they had been looking for...and much more.

Under the data they had discovered was not only the exact location of the device that could bring them home, like Shockwave had suspected a modified space-bridge, but also details about the activities and the history of the so called Cybertronian Empire.

What they had found shocked practically all of them. Not only followed the Empire a policy of imperialism and colonialism, no...it was in fact one of extermination.

25 habitated worlds had been wiped out, at least. Dozens, probably hundreds, of entire sentient species, societies and cultures were so destroyed.

It shocked even the Decepticons under them. Not ever either one of their versions of the Decepticon Empire would have gone **that** far.

The only one who didn´t seemed to be particular affected was Shockwave. His in `logical´ pattern working mind concentrated on completely different matters. In this case the way to go back to their universes.

He didn´t quite understood the importance that the fate of several groups of organics had to the other robots here anyway, even the Decepticons. For him this were simply lines of facts and priorities.

In all this however Shockwave missed one quite important detail, one that the more `emotional´ Transformers saw clear.

The very fact that this so called Cybertronian Empire was willing to do all that...to destroy these worlds, exterminate entire races...marked them as incredible dangerous. And they possessed a technology that made it possible for them to reach their worlds.

Alone the fact that they were willing to go that far marked them as a threat. They were a terrible enemy, waiting at their borders. But Shockwave, at least this version of him, whose CPU was concentrating only on the task at hand and it´s possible solution, wasn´t able to see that.

"What do you think?" Arcee asked nobody in particular, but everyone in the room.

"They are dangerous," Cliffjumper replied, "so much is clear."

"No kidding," Bumblebee commented, "even the Decepticons would not think about doing something like that."

"**Our** Decepticons at least," Sari added.

"You better watch what you say, **half-human**," Motormaster told her threatening.

"Well, think about it. Do any of you think it is a coincidence that they brought us all here?" Scourge threw the question in the room. "Do you really think it was just for `entertainment?"

"You mean? Yes, that would make sense," Skywarp replied. "They had made the effort to being us all here after all, just for the sake of this twisted `Games´ as they claim."

"Could you please tell me what in the world you are **talking** about?" Bumblebee called out.

"What they mean is that we are here for a special purpose," Arcee stated. "That this Games are a test...for us."

"We should concentrate on our current mission," Shockwave told them. "We have already wasted too much time."

"You really don´t get it, what one eye?" Scourge growled.

"They have already proven that they are able to reach our world when they had brought us here," Skywarp pointed out. "Having us fight here will give them at least a good general idea about our abilities, our weapon technology, our fighting skills, if you get the picture."

"You think they are testing us all as possible targets," Sari realized.

"That would at least explain a lot, wouldn´t it?" Arcee said. "For example why they had bothered to capture so many Transformers from so many different universes. Just to let them partake in some perverse `show event´? Does that really make sense to you? I don´t think so."


	11. Chapter 11: Battles

**Chapter 11  
**

_Beast Machines Universe_

All over the planet Cybertron, on the surface, in the cities, even in orbit, a battle was raging on.

But at the same time, through all of the world wide chaos, one special group led by the leaders of both groups who formed the alliance of invaders, had landed on the surface, at a place close to the Maximal Capital in the sector of Iacon.

The entire rest of the battle however was in truth not much more than a distraction.

When the time came however at least the forces of the Cybertronian Empire would return in even greater force to remove the stain of the techno-organics who were occupying it from this version of their world...that was at least what they themselves were thinking. But this time had not come yet.

For now they were here because they were looking for something. It was something that the Empire...no, more precisely the Liege Maximo himself...had been looking for a long time...something that they had crossed dimensions for, many times during the last years.

Now they had found it. The precious object they had been searching for was in reach.

Besides that, the temporary alliance they had formed with the Decepticons from one of the universes they had last scouted was more of an spontanous act.

It had ultimately been the idea and the decision of alone the Liege Centurio Megatron, who had been overseeing the operation and seen an vital opportunity...and no one else.

His counterpart, the other Megatron present and leader of the Decepticons in one of the many parallel universes, was the one who had agreed to it...distrustful, but he agreed.

This group was now heading for a special location, a place deep under the surface of the planet.

They had just reached the entrance that would lead them to the underground world of Cybertron. It was one of the countless tunnels that pervaded and connected the interior of the entire planet. Most of them had been forgotten about during the course of time. Many even long before the end of the Great War and the time the Maximals and Predacons took over this world.

"So this is it?" Megatron, the leader of the Decepticon half of their alliance, stated. "I hope you are sure about you information. Remember, our agreement depends on it. I have not provided you my help just for a military adventure."

"Of course I am sure," his counterpart, the other Megatron, replied. "The source of power I have spoken of is here."

"And don´t even think about betraying me," the Decepticon leader added.

"Of course not," the other one responded. "I would never try something like that...at least not with you...You and me are the same after all," he stated.

"Yes, that is true," Megatron replied, "we are the same," he said in a quieter tone.

Together they now passed the entrance and stepped inside. The way was leading them down to the lower levels.

xxxxxxx

The fighting had long spread over the entire planet... and broken up into different areas where, sometimes entire strike-teams, small groups or even just single robots were fighting each other.

Somewhere in the central area of Iacon, the group that included the last `visitors´ from other universes, that meant Optimus, Sentinel Prime and the doppelganger of Starscream, just like the Maximals Cheetor, Silverbolt, Blackarchnia and Rattrap, was now fighting off enemies from all sides.

Despite everything what happened so far, Optimus had to admit he was surprised. He had expected the group who had originally invaded his world to come back and cause more trouble, but not something like this.

This here looked like an wide-scale invasion...and it was not only that. He could make out several enemies who were wearing the Decepticon brand, while others didn´t have a insignia at all, just like the group who had just attacked his own Cybertron a short time ago.

What did that mean? Had this strangers allied themselves with the Decepticons of his world? If this was the case it could very likely be a disaster for the Autobots.

Right next to him Sentinel´s thoughts went into a similar direction. He as well was worried about the implications of this attack. Like Optimus he recognized the robots who were responsible for the fact that they landed here in the first place. This was truly not what he had imagined his week to be. Fighting of an intrusion from an unknown force, then being stranded in another universe...one full of techno-organics...and **all that** together with Optimus Prime of all people.

No this was truly not his week.

The two Primes were still fighting side by side against the enemies that had surrounded them and the others, while partly taking cover behind a large piece of debris that had been blown off from the building next to them.

Beside him Optimus just fired a volley of laser-blasts at an airborne enemy fighter who had been targeting him a few moments before. In opposite to his opponent though his shots actually hit, burned through the armor into the chest and upper of the Transformer, who was flying in robot above the area, into his vital systems...and sent him falling to the ground as a burning wreck.

It had been one of the unmarked robots who had tried to invade his own Cybertron earlier, as Optimus recognized. Not too far from his now fallen opponent however, he could also see a couple of actual Decepticon seekers flying in attack formation.

Starscream, who was fighting in some distance to them, to say it bluntly was not happy, not at all. He knew this were Megatron´s troops. But it was completely new to him that his old commander had been planning an invasion to **this** universe here. Or that he would even consider allying himself with a faction of Decepticons. But here he was, standing right in the middle of a wide-scale invasion. He began now to understand how deeply he had been set up by Megatron.

It just wasn´t fair, a part of him thought, that his own leader would betray him like that. If at all it should have been him, the lower officer who was just looking for recognition, who would be setting a trap.

All over Iacon and the neighboring sectors, Maximals and Predacons alike were fighting off the two groups of invaders.

At one place a Maximal in a scorpion-mode was dueling a Cybertronian Empire soldier, but was shot in the back and killed by a Decepticon in tank form.

At another a Predacon was fighting a Decepticon who was several times his size, but managed to keep his opponent at bay with the use of both a blaster and a energon sword.

A few miles from that a Decepticon seeker was being hit and blown up by a shot from a laser cannon that had been a leftover of the planet´s automatic defense-system from before the Great Reformation, that was still working.

A couple of Cybertronian Empire ground-units, who had already slaughtered over a dozen unarmed natives right after their landing, were now busy hunting down two other seemingly equally defenseless techno-organics. They saw that they had just driven their `prey´ into a corner. The two native robots were standing in front of a large structure with no hope of escape.

But before they even had the chance to fire, they two `hunters´ suddenly realized that they themselves were being surrounded by 20 Maximal soldiers who now came out of hiding and had their weapons pointed at them...and were blown to pieces.

The troops of the Cybertronian Empire had thought that this world, being populated only by techno-organics, would be an easy victim. They now had to find out in the hard way that they were wrong.

Their troops had been convinced that the Maximals and Predacons, being part organic, would be therefore automatically inferior to them.

Right now some of them were paying for that assumption with their life-energon.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Empire Universe_

After successfully raiding the outpost they had found, the combined group of Autobots and Decepticons was now moving along the edge of the giant maze that was serving as the fighting ground for this `tournament´.

It was successfull in more than just one sense. Beside the information about the location of the device that they hoped could bring them back home, they had also found various data about the Empire itself.

In the end there was more than just one reason for them to return. This was about more than their own lives.

This so called Cybertronian Empire was a threat, to all of them. They needed to return, not only for their own sakes, but also to warn their worlds that they could maybe be the next target.

All in all things were in fact going better than expected. Neither the guard forces of this area or the other teams that were forced to compete here with each other had found them so far.

But there was another problem...that one of them was just bringing up:

"How can we just leave?" Bumblebee asked. "There are still so many other captives here," he argued, "...in the other groups," he added somewhat more uneasy.

"Yes Autobot, in the same groups that are supposed to fight and kill us right now," Skywarp remarked.

"Right now they would very likely shoot you on sight if you try to approach them," Scourge pointed out. "Well, if you actually want to try to talk to them, I will not stop you. One Autobot less to worry about in the multiverse," he murmured.

"I hate to admit it, but the Decepticons have a point," Arcee stated. "The members of the different groups here have been turned against each other, Autobots and Decepticons alike. It is a wonder that even **we** were able to cooperate..and even that had nearly ended in a shoot out. If we try to talk to them, we would possibly be killed. We can not risk that...not now."

"But how can we just leave all of these robots behind?" Bumblebee questioned once again.

"How can we **not**?" Skywarp replied sarcastically. "Ever paid any attention to the situation we are in Autobot?"

"He is right. You all saw the data we have recovered," Arcee reminded Bumblebee and also the others. "This entire perverse `Game´ here is ultimately just a test-area. They want to find out about the strengths and weaknesses of our universes."

"Yes, I know that..." Sari spoke up, "but by just capturing a few small groups of fighters? that seems a bit...well..."

"I understand what you mean," the female Autobot responded. "Since you are from Earth, it makes sense for you to think like that. But remember, we are a artificial race. Every one of us is practically an assemblance of the weapon- and defense-technology of our dimensions. To that come all the information that they had been able to copy from our personal data-banks as they had captured us."

"I see," the small redheaded techno-organic answered.

"Whatever happened, we need to warn our home-worlds about this threat," Arcee stated. "I hate the thought as much as you...leaving so many Autobots behind..." She now noticed Skywarp giving her a glare. "...and also the Decepticons," she added.

This was answered with a sharky grin from the black seeker which she returned in the same manner.

"It is nice to know that you care about us," he said sarcastically.

"You are welcome," she replied.

Arcee didn´t trust this Decepticons...she didn´t trust **any** Decepticons, no matter which universe they came from, for good reasons. But in the time they had been here, she admitted, there had been developed some strange kind of mutual respect...at least for the most of them.

Her optics wandered to the Decepticon Shockwave, alias Longarm, who had deceived them from the beginning into thinking that he was an ally...an Autobot...from the beginning and then nearly provoked them and the Decepticons who were now with them into trying to kill each other. Not that it would have taken much to do this. She also remembered the Shockwave from her own world and what he was responsible for. No, there were **some** Decepticons she would certainly never trust in the slightest, she thought.

The one-eyed robot in question meanwhile had been following the conversation, silently. He himself would have a few things to add. But he also knew that at the moment none of them were feeling particular friendly to him. The stand-off that nearly led to a shoot-out between their, at that time two, groups was to a great part caused by him. At that time his priorities had been his own return to his world and...if possible...get rid of as many Autobots as possible in the process...in that order.

He knew now however, after finding the full information about this `Cybertronian Empire´, how much of a danger it truly represented, that his priorities had been wrong. So he had followed the obvious conclussion and rearranged them. Stopping this new threat from reaching his home-world had definitely a much higher importance than he originally calculated.

It was only logical. But he also knew that the others were very likely not seeing it in that way...and take his choices personally.

For that reason it was as well a logical conclusion to him, to stay out of this discussion and stay quiet, at least for the moment.

In his opinion this entire conversation right now between the others had been a waste of time. There had been said nothing that had not been obvious from the beginning. Or at least should have...if they all had been thinking logical.

Of course thinking logically was something someone like the Autobot Bumblebee seemed hardly capable of...either version of him.

Not that any of that truly mattered right now. They were now approaching the area where the device that was able to send them back was located.

Unless the others illogical behavior would turn out to do anything to threaten their current mission, there was no reason to pay much attention to it.

At least not until their actions might actually become a problem...in that case he would act.

xxxxxxx

_Beast Machines Universe_

_Cybertron-Underground_

While on the surface the fighting was still going on, the group around the two Megatron´s had continued their way through this Cybertron´s underground.

It wasn´t an easy way as they found out. The changes on the reformated planet raged, as they were finding out first hand now, far deeper than the surface. In fact the newly grown organic components were reaching down right to the core of the former metal-world.

Many of the old tunnels had been cut off, blocked or completely ripped apart. So they had to move around this sections and find another way. In the most cases, they were just burning themselves through the walls and went on in the same direction.

The reasons that they could find their way at all were only two. First was that Megatron...the one of the Cybertronian Empire...had actually learned everything that was there to know about this ancient underground tunnel system.

Of course his knowledge was far from perfect, since the tunnels were not necessarely completely identical in the different versions of Cybertron across the multiverse. Still given **where** he got his instructions from, his knowledge was very detailed.

The second reason was the strange device he was holding in his hand. This as well had been given to him by the Liege Maximo himself. Inside was a small spark that had been said to be taken from the life-force of all Cybertronians itself and that was reacting to the object they were searching for. Even Megatron himself was not completely sure if this was the complete truth or just a rumor. He only knew about it what The Liege had told him.

Not that it mattered where it came from, important was that the device **was** working. It was leading them directly to their goal.

What they hadn´t noticed was that they by now had entered a secured area...and activated the hidden sensors that alarmed the Transformers on the surface about their presence.


	12. Chapter 12: Source of Power

**Chapter 12  
**

_Beast Machines Universe_

The alarm that had been triggered as the group around the two Megatron´s had entered the secured underground parameter had been send to the surface nearly instantly.

One problem however was that the time this area had been sealed off had been centuries ago and there were not many left who knew that it even existed at all...or why it had been sealed off in the first place.

So for that reason, while the alarms were working correct, even after all that time...it took some time before someone finally actually noticed.

But they **did** notice it.

Far away from the actual place, a old surveillance tower at the border of the sector was receiving the signal.

The small group of Maximals who were still working at this station finally noticed the ongoing alarms...and send a message to the sector HQ.

Less than ten minutes later the group around Cheetor... that also included their interdimensional visitors... was being informed about the intrusion in the lower levels...by a routine call.

There was however something about it what caught his attention. It was after all in the middle of an invasion. But this alarm was caused in a place that should be underground... and in a sector where was practically no enemy activity reported.

This was a strange coincidence. If it was one.

Cheetor for his part had learned a long time ago to look out for things like this. He did not believe in that kind of coincidences... not since the Beast Wars.

It was good possible that the invaders were trying to get underground. The only question was, why?

"Silverbolt," he commed his old comrade who was in the moment in the air, engaging some of the attackers, "there is something we should maybe check out."

"Of course commander," the fuzor answered.

Cheetor was turning around, looking at their `guests´ from another dimension.

"Optimus," he called out to the one closest to him. "We just got a message from the sector-border. There is something we should maybe check out, but we are short on men. Are you coming with us?"

Both of the Autobot Primes were exchanging a short look at the question.

"We will," Optimus answered after a second.

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Empire Universe_

They were coming closer to the place they were seeking for.

The line of Autobots and Decepticons was still walking...moving in robot form, carefully. Vehicle or even aircraft-modes would be in a too great risk to be detected.

The only exception was Bumblebee who was moving very slowly in car form. Inside his cabin were the two humans Jack and Miko who had also been unintentionally also transported to this place... together with the techno-organic half-cybertronian named Sari.

In opposite to her they were not truly part of the `game´. Their presence was absolutely not planned by the Transformers who had brought them here...in short, an accident.

These so called `Cybertronians had made it absolutely clear what they thought about the humans, **organic infestion**. That´s what they have called them.

In the time they had been here, this two had been mostly been **standing aside**.

During the raid of the Empire outpost they had stayed behind...outside of the fighting area...together with Sari...or rather guarded by her. They had just waited until it was over, in a safe distance.

They were never meant to be here in the first place.

"Are you okay Jack?" Sari asked him.

"Yes, it´s alright," he answered.

"It sucks that we are only sitting around here," Miko exclaimed. "We should do something to help."

"And what?" Sari asked her.

"I don´t know. I... I just feel that we should do something, you know?" she responded.

"If there is something you can do, you will get your chance," Sari replied. "I know how you feel, believe me. When I met the Autobots... well, the other Autobots for the first time, I was also barely a help the most time. I did not even knew that I was a techno-organic back then. The only reason I was a help at all was because I had a key loaded with allspark energy that I got through dumb luck. You get what I mean?"

"Yes, I do... somehow," she answered, still sounding a bit impatient.

"But I was still able to do something... when I acted at the right time, under the right circumstances, you see? But **this** here were simply **not** the right circumstances," she stated.

"I see," Miko answered. She was still not exactly sounding happy, but seemed to accept it.

"Who knows, maybe you and Jack will get your chance to do something when we reach the space-bridge," she told them. She wasn´t so sure about the chances for this. But if her time with the Autobots had shown her anything, then it was that **everything** could happen.

The device that they hoped could bring them all home however, was still a few miles away.

xxxxxxx

_Beast Machines Universe_

The team led by the two Megatrons had just entered the cybertronian underground. But it was not the underworld of their home-planet that either of them was used to, not anymore.

With the `Great Reformation´, the change of Cybertron into a techno-organic world, the underground became automatically very different as well. Deep roots of plants and forests that had grown over the entire globe had been compromised and to some part interrupted their entire network. Some of the old tunnels had crumbled as the organic matter had invaded the places that had originally belonged to them, others had been blockaded or simply been twisted and bend out of their old shape.

All this made it now much harder for the combined group of extradimensional Decepticons and `Cybertronians´ to find their way.

But finally, after what seemed like hours, they had reached the special underground-chamber that the information provided to them by the Liege Maximo had them led to, more precisely would be to say it was a wide hall.

"So this is it?"

"Yes," his counterpart replied. "The object we are looking for is here."

The two Megatrons were crossing the room with large steps. They were both heading for the object that wwas being fixated on top of a small pedestal on the other side of the large room. It was nothing else than the Creation Matrix. But it was not just any version of it. There was something that made this Matrix here special - maye even unique - out of all the other versions in the multiverse.

"The Allspark," the Decepticon Megatron said as he recognized it.

"Yes, that is what it is called in your reality, I think," his `Cybertronian´ counterpart replied. "The Matrix is just another name. But there is something that makes this one different from nearly all other variants in the different universes. You see a few centuries ago, the cybertronians of this world were fighting a war against Unicron, the legendary Bringer of Chaos. It even forced them to temporally end their own conflict with each other and work together.

In the end of the conflict however Unicron had not simply been defeated. In this world, his his essence had been separated from his consciousness. And while his separated mind had been `killed´, his essence, his power, had been trapped inside the Matrix... the Matrix, that had originally been created as a weapon against the ancient enemy had become the prison of his lifeforce... trapped inside right here." Megatron layed his hand on the ancient object.

"The Matrix, the Allspark as you call it, is the key to Primus Power," he explained. "But as a power-source, it has one drawback. No matter how much power you are able to draw from it, no matter how much control you gain over it, Primus and his misguided ideals will always also influence you. There had been `tyrants, ambitious individuals who searched for the power of the Matrix, but when some of them finally gained it, their goals completely crumbled into itself. Either their characters changed and they slowly gave up on their intentions or in other cases, they went insane, slowly driven mad by the others consciousnesses stored inside the Matrix."

Megatron´s Decepticon counterpart and his followers had been listening interested to the story of his alternate self.

"But here," the Imperial Megatron continued, "imagine, a completely unbounded source of power. Since Unicron´s mind had been separated and destroyed, all what is left is his lifeforce - equal with Primus - but completely free to be used in any way you see fit. Waiting for someone to free it from it´s prison. For someone to claim it and become the new Chaos Bringer."

xxxxxxx

At the same time, Optimus, Sentinel and the others who were following the alarm signal were coming closer to their position. From there on they had been following the energon traces of several of the invaders... through the underground tunnel-system.

"They are here... in front of us, maybe a half mile," Silverbolt stated.

"Good," Cheetor replied.

xxxxxxx

"Megatron, we have detected a group of the `natives´ and a couple of other Cybertronians who are approaching our position," one of his warriors reported.

"Ah, it seems we are getting `visitors´," the Liege Centurio stated.

"You have heard it," the other Megatron announced. "Let us `welcome´ them."

xxxxxxx

_Cybertronian Universe_

The small group of unwilling Autobot and Decepticon `gladiators´ and humans had just arrived at the location of the device they had been looking for.

Just as they had expected, it had turned out to be some sort of space-bridge... of a design they had never seen before.

"Are you ready Scourge?" the black seeker asked his `partner´, as they both readied and charged their weapons.

"Of course Skywarp," he replied.


End file.
